Delhi Court Issues Non-Bailable Warrant against Lashkar-e-Taiba Chief Hafiz Saeed for Money Laundering
New
Age Islam News Bureau
12
February 2021
Hafiz
Saeed will have to undergo collective imprisonment of over 36 years in five
terror financing cases at the Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore.(REUTERS)
-----
•
Jamaat-e-Islami Emir Calls for Ban on Dowry, Un-Islamic Traditions in Pakistan
•
ISIS Could Regain Capacity to Orchestrate Attacks in 2021: UN Official
•
Saudi Arabia Is a Key Partner in the Fight Against Terrorism: Pentagon
•
UN Rapporteur Calls on UAE to Release Jailed Human Rights Advocates, Mohammed
al-Roken, Ahmed Mansoor and Nasser bin Ghaith
•
Report: Israel Plans To Build New Settlement in Central Jerusalem Al-Quds
•
President Ghani Spoke to Tajik, Kazakh leaders over bilateral relations
•
‘Credible’ Case Of Chinese Government Genocide Against Uighur Muslims, Say
Lawyers
•
Sudan Cracks Down On Dissolved National Congress Party After Violent Protests
India
•
Delhi Court Issues Non-Bailable Warrant against Lashkar-e-Taiba Chief Hafiz
Saeed for Money Laundering
•
Very Difficult for a Young Muslim Leader to Aspire to Be India’s Prime
Minister: Congress Leader Ghulam Nabi Azad
•
‘Dalit Converts to Christianity or Islam Won’t Get Quota’: Union Law Minister
•
AIADMK True Guardian of Muslims, Says EPS; Explains Alliance Compulsions
•
23 Cases in As Many Days under ‘Love Jihad’ Law In MP
•
Haryana Will Bring 'Love Jihad' Law 'As Soon as Possible': Haryana Home
Minister
•
BJP Picks 31 Muslim Candidates in Bharuch, Its Highest In District
--------
Pakistan
•
Jamaat-e-Islami Emir Calls for Ban on Dowry, Un-Islamic Traditions in Pakistan
•
Spokesman: Muslim youth kills Ahmadi physician in Pakistan
•
Court orders SBP to unfreeze Mullah Mansour’s assets deposited in bank
•
Pakistan Successfully Test Fires Surface-To-Surface Missile
•
Iran Slams Pak For Harbouring Terrorists After Outfit Kidnaps Iranian Soldiers
•
Pakistan: 5 New Educational Boards Established For Seminaries
•
Supreme Court restrains Justice Isa from hearing PM’s cases
•
4 soldiers martyred after terrorists attack army check post in South
Waziristan: ISPR
--------
Europe
•
ISIS Could Regain Capacity to Orchestrate Attacks in 2021: UN Official
•
EU lawmaker: EU silent on ongoing Saudi-led 'genocide in Yemen
•
EU Parliament calls for ban on arms sale to Saudi, UAE
•
UN: Bring home kids from Syria with possible extremist links
•
'Turkey is part of Europe and will be part of new EU'
--------
North
America
•
Saudi Arabia Is a Key Partner in the Fight Against Terrorism: Pentagon
•
US, Turkish navies conduct joint exercises in Black Sea
•
Yellen: Use of Cryptos for Terrorism Growing Problem
•
Biden Govt Supports Repatriating Jihadists: US Diplomat
--------
Arab
World
•
UN Rapporteur Calls on UAE to Release Jailed Human Rights Advocates, Mohammed
al-Roken, Ahmed Mansoor and Nasser bin Ghaith
•
Oman content with current Israel relationship in terms of dialogue: Foreign
minister
•
Arab Coalition intercepts Houthi ballistic missile, 2 drones targeting Saudi
Arabia
•
Yemeni forces launch retaliatory missile attack on airbase in southwestern
Saudi Arabia
•
Three Turkish soldiers killed in northern Iraq
•
Roadside bomb hits US-led coalition convoy south of Iraq’s capital
•
Local Officials Say Iraq's Kakais, Fearing IS, Are Fleeing Their Villages
--------
Mideast
•
Report: Israel Plans To Build New Settlement in Central Jerusalem Al-Quds
•
Israeli settler runs over, kills Palestinian man, injuries two others in
occupied West Bank
•
Hamas Lauds Iranian Leader for Unchanged Position on Palestine
•
Houthi leaders will be removed from list of US-designated terrorists: Sources
•
Turkey arrests Iranian diplomat over killing of dissident in Istanbul: Daily
Sabah
--------
South
Asia
•
President Ghani Spoke to Tajik, Kazakh leaders over bilateral relations
•
Petition urges UN to prevent Myanmar coup from worsening Rohingyas plight
•
Biden facing 'serious dilemmas' on Afghan troop withdrawal: US official
•
Malaysia to hand 1,200 Myanmar detainees to country's navy
•
‘UN convoy’ ambushed on Kabul-Jalalabad highway
•
String of IED blasts claim 2 civilians in Nangarhar
--------
Southeast
Asia
•
‘Credible’ Case Of Chinese Government Genocide Against Uighur Muslims, Say
Lawyers
•
Yearning for ‘Golden’ Malaysia of the 60s And 70s
•
Report: Former air steward files complaint to prosecute two for insulting the
Hindu faith
•
Former BN party Gerakan joins Malaysia's ruling Perikatan Nasional coalition
--------
Africa
•
Sudan Cracks Down On Dissolved National Congress Party After Violent Protests
•
US President Extends National Emergency for Libya
•
Libya: New Presidency Council head visits Benghazi
•
Ethiopia Killed 83 Civilians in Tigray: Rights Group
•
Insecurity threatens Somalia humanitarian work: UN
•
Sudan declares state of emergency in Sennar state
•
Boko Haram reportedly abducts three Nigerian customs officers
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/delhi-court-issues-non-bailable/d/124286
--------
Delhi
Court Issues Non-Bailable Warrant against Lashkar-e-Taiba Chief Hafiz Saeed for
Money Laundering
Hafiz
Saeed will have to undergo collective imprisonment of over 36 years in five
terror financing cases at the Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore.(REUTERS)
-----
FEB
06, 2021
A
Delhi court on Saturday issued non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Muhammad Hafiz Saeed, Kashmiri businessman Zahoor
Ahmad Shah Watali, separatist Altaf Ahmad Shah alias Funtoosh and businessman
from the UAE Naval Kishore Kapoor while taking cognisance of the Enforcement
Directorate’s money laundering charges in Jammu and Kashmir terror-funding
case.
Watali’s
company M/s Trison Farms and Construction Pvt Ltd has also been arrayed as
accused by the court while issuing the NBWs.
While
Hafiz Saeed, who is also the mastermind of 26/11 Mumbai attacks, roams freely
in Pakistan and enjoys patronage of its spy agency – Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI), Watali, Funtoosh and Kapoor are lodged in Tihar jail.
The
ED’s Special Public Prosecutor, Nitesh Rana, submitted in the court of Special
Judge National Investigation Agency (NIA), Praveen Singh, at Patiala House
Courts that, “Watali was receiving money from Hafiz Saeed (founder of
Jamaat-ud-Dawa, its military arm LeT, the ISI as well as Pakistan High
Commission in New Delhi, which was further remitted to the Hurriyat leaders,
separatists and stone-throwers in the Kashmir valley”.
Naval
Kishore Kapoor, mobilised funds from unknown sources in Dubai and remitted the
same to Watali and his company Trison Farms and Construction Pvt Ltd, according
to Rana.
The
anti-money laundering probe agency had launched an investigation under the
Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Jammu and Kashmir terror-funding
case on the basis of an NIA charge sheet against Saeed and others in 2018. It
has already attached properties close to worth ₹8 crore belonging to Watali so
far.
In
its charge sheet in 2018, the NIA had claimed that a former Pakistani prime
minister (without naming) wrote a letter to Watali, which was recovered from
the latter’s residence during the raids. Not just that, it said that the NIA
had recovered from his place a list of ISI officials.
Both
the NIA and the ED have claimed in their official court documents, reviewed by
HT, that Hafiz Saeed, another UN listed terrorist, Syed Salahuddin (Hizbul
Mujahideen chief), Pakistan and its agencies provided funds via Dubai route by
using bogus transactions carried out in several companies for terror activities
in J-K.
Subsequently,
funds came through legitimate transfers from bank accounts of certain
individuals, hawala, LoC (Line of Control) barter trade by under-invoicing of
goods and bogus companies floated abroad, it stated.
The
NIA has said, “a threadbare scrutiny and analysis of documents and digital
devices seized by it established that the Hurriyat leaders, terrorists and
stone-pelters were carrying out terrorist attacks, orchestrating violence,
stone pelting and other subversive and secessionist activities in the state as
part of a well-planned criminal conspiracy hatched with the active support,
connivance and funding from terrorist organisations based in Pakistan and its
agencies to achieve their objective of secession of the state of Jammu and
Kashmir by waging war against the Government of India”.
“The
secessionist leaders belonging to All Parties Hurriyat Conference have
established a network of cadres throughout Kashmir valley who incite the youth
to attack all symbols of Indian sovereignty, especially Indian security forces.
Acting under the overall guidance of and instructions from Hafiz Saeed and
Salahuddin and their ‘Pakistani handlers’, the separatists form strategies and
action plans to launch violent protests and communicate the same to the masses
in the form of ‘protest calendars’, released through newspapers, social media
and religious leaders, creating an “atmosphere of terror and fear in J-K,” it
added.
HT
could not locate the legal representatives of Watali and other accused.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/delhi-court-issues-non-bailable-warrant-against-hafiz-saeed-for-money-laundering-101612618120278.html
--------
Jamaat-e-Islami
Emir Calls for Ban on Dowry, Un-Islamic Traditions in Pakistan
Jamaat-e-Islami
Emir Senator Sirajul Haq
------
12
Feb 2021
LAHORE:
Jamaat-e-Islami Emir Senator Sirajul Haq has demanded complete ban on dowry and
other un-Islamic and anti-constitutional traditions in society and also called
for ensuring protection of women at workplaces and educational institutions.
While
taking to journalist on occasion of launching "Istehkam-e-Khandan-
Protection of Family Institution" campaign at Mansoora on Thursday, he
said the practices of displaying dowry articles and its demand from the groom
family, depriving women from inheritance, marriage of a woman with Quran, honor
killing, wani and others were still intact in the society despite legislation
against them.
"Islam
strictly prohibits these corrupt practices. The JI has decided to thwart the
attacks on Islamic society."
The
Istehkam Khandan campaign would continue for a month- Feb 11 to March 11.
Rallies and conferences will be organized during the campaign to create
awareness among the public about how the planned attacks are being launched to
destroy sanctity of the institution of family and how to cope with the
challenge. The JI would mark February 14 as Youm-e-Haya and also JI women wing
has decided to hold marches in all major cities on International Women Day on
March 8 with the demands from the government to implement Article 35 and 37G of
the constitution providing protection to women.
Answering
questions from the journalists, he said video scandal of the members of the
assembly posed a bigger question that how an elected member could protect the
rights of the people who offered his loyalties against money. This was a
biggest tragedy that horse-trading became a common culture in the country, he
said, the PTI failed to curb the practices which continued in the past too.
He
demanded the government to fulfill the promises it made with the youth and
women for providing them interest free loans and jobs.
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40063198
--------
ISIS
Could Regain Capacity To Orchestrate Attacks In 2021: UN Official
ISIS remains resilient in South-East Asia, with a
number of factions. The involvement of women in suicide bombings has continued.
(Representative image)
-------
11th
February 2021
UNITED
NATIONS: The threat posed by ISIS to international peace and security is on the
rise again and the terror group could regain the capacity to orchestrate
attacks in different parts of the world in 2021, the UN counter-terrorism chief
has warned the Security Council.
In
a briefing to the Security Council on Wednesday, Under-Secretary-General of the
United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism Vladimir Voronkov cautioned that the
world must be prepared to disrupt such new attacks.
"The
threat posed by ISIS to international peace and security is on the rise again.
It
is crucial that Member States remain focused and united to counter it, despite
the strains and competing priorities brought by the COVID-19 pandemic," he
said on the '12th Report of the Secretary-General on the threat posed by ISIS
(Daesh) to international peace and security'.
Voronkov
said while the dreaded terror group has not developed a purposeful strategy to
exploit the pandemic, its efforts to regroup and to reinvigorate its activities
gained further momentum in the second half of 2020.
"Its
core in Iraq and Syria and its affiliates in other conflict zones have
continued to take advantage of the disruption caused by the virus to step up
their operations, with a number of high-profile attacks," he said, adding
that ISIS fighters have maintained the ability to move and operate, including
across unprotected borders.
As
ISIS's regional affiliates entrench themselves and gain autonomy and strength,
they could provide the group new capabilities and options to conduct external
operations, he said.
"Member
States warn that ISIS could regain the capacity to orchestrate attacks in
different parts of the world in the course of 2021," Voronkov said, adding
that ISIS's primary focus remains resurgence in Iraq and Syria, where the
international community continues to grapple with the legacies of the group's
so-called 'caliphate'.
Voronkov
said that about 10,000 ISIS fighters, including foreign terrorist fighters in
the low thousands, remain active in the region, the majority of them in Iraq,
pursuing a protracted insurgency.
"These
sizable remnants are assessed to pose a major, long-term and global threat.
They
are organised in small cells hiding in desert and rural areas and moving across
the border between the two countries, waging attacks," he said.
The
UN official underscored the need to end the "scourge of terrorism" by
defeating ISIS in cyberspace, disrupting new attacks globally and tackling the
threat posed by its regional affiliates, especially in Africa.
"We
must urgently solve the protracted issue of ISIS members--lest our failure
enables the group's resurgence," he said, assuring that through the Global
Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact, the UN system will continue to
"stand by Member States as they rise to these challenges".
According
to a report, ISIS is currently assessed to have between 1,000 and 2,200
fighters in Afghanistan spread across several provinces and is expected to
continue to target Kabul and provincial capitals in future attacks.
Shihab
al-Muhajir, announced as the group's new leader in June 2020, reportedly heads
ISIS operations in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan, Sri
Lanka and States in Central Asia.
He
is said to have had an earlier affiliation with and to maintain familial ties
to the Haqqani Network.
Turning
to Asia, the UN official said ISIS's affiliate in Afghanistan is assessed to
still have between 1000-2200 fighters spread across several provinces.
"Despite
degraded military capabilities, it has continued to exploit difficulties in the
Afghan peace process, and claimed a number of high-profile attacks," he
said.
ISIS
also remains resilient in South-East Asia, with a number of factions.
The
involvement of women in suicide bombings has continued, with two such attacks
in the Philippines in August 2020.
Noting
that 2021 is the 20th anniversary of resolution 1373, which the Security
Council adopted on countering terrorism in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in the
US, Voronkov urged Member States to recommit themselves under UN auspices to
"multilateral action against terrorism".
UN
Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Director (CTED) Head Michele Coninsx
updated on the Secretary-General's 12th strategic-level report along with the
UN's work in addressing ISIS during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She
pointed to the current "volatile and complex" security environment,
which she maintained is highlighted by "generational challenges" from
terror groups.
"The
COVID-19 pandemic is the most urgent challenge," Coninsx said, noting that
it has accelerated many underlying issues that are fuelling various threats and
"leaving us in a precarious situation." Among other things, it has
diverted attention and resources away from combatting the spread of violence
and extremism by terror groups and created obstacles for Member States to
repatriate their nationals from Syria and Iraq, Coninsx said.
The
UN remains "deeply concerned at the dire situation" faced by mostly
women and children in camps that have no access to medicine, hygiene or
shelter, which has been exacerbated by the pandemic's restrictions on
humanitarian aid," she said.
https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2021/feb/11/isis-could-regain-capacity-to-orchestrate-attacks-in-2021-un-official-2262764.html
--------
Saudi
Arabia is a key partner in the fight against terrorism: Pentagon
Joseph
Haboush & Pierre Ghanem
11
February ,2021
Saudi
Arabia is a key partner in the fight against terrorism and in ensuring regional
stability, a Pentagon official said Thursday.
“Saudi
Arabia is a pillar of regional security architecture, and they’re a core
stakeholder in the threat against terrorism and countering Iran’s destabilizing
activities,” Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said in response to a question
from Al Arabiya at the Pentagon.
Kirby
added that the US was committed to assisting Saudi Arabia with the defense of
its borders “in light of emerging and credible threats.”
The
Iran-backed Houthi militia has continuously targeted civilians and targets
inside Saudi Arabia.
On
Wednesday, the Houthis claimed a drone attack on a civilian airplane at Saudi
Arabia's Abha airport.
The
Pentagon official also reaffirmed that there was no change in US policy toward
helping Riyadh defend itself from attacks.
Asked
if the US had enough assets in the region to defend its interests as well as
Saudi Arabia, Kirby said he would not talk about future or potential
operations.
“Nothing
has changed with our policy and commitment to helping Saudi Arabia defend its
borders.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2021/02/11/US-foreign-policy-Saudi-Arabia-is-a-key-partner-in-the-fight-against-terrorism-Pentagon
--------
UN
Rapporteur Calls on UAE to Release Jailed Human Rights Advocates, Mohammed
al-Roken, Ahmed Mansoor and Nasser bin Ghaith
11
February 2021
A
United Nations expert says three human rights advocates serving 10-year prison
sentences in the United Arab Emirates are being mistreated in conditions that
may amount to torture, calling on authorities in the Persian Gulf country to
release them.
“Issuing
long-term prison sentences to human rights defenders, in connection to their
human rights work, is a practice that cannot continue, and is an issue I will
be prioritizing during my mandate” UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of
human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, said on Wednesday.
She
added that Mohammed al-Roken, Ahmed Mansoor and Nasser bin Ghaith have been
criminalized and imprisoned for their "non-violent and legitimate calls
for respect for human rights" in the UAE, noting that they have been
subjected to "ill-treatment in prison."
Lawlor
said, “Reports I have received indicate that the conditions and treatment that
these human rights defenders are subjected to, such as prolonged solitary
confinement, are in violation of human rights standards and may constitute
torture.”
Roken,
prominent for his human rights work, has been imprisoned since 2012 on charges
of “plotting against the government.”
He
was convicted during a controversial mass trial known as the "UAE
94," during which 94 people were charged with trying to overthrow the
Emirati government – a charge they denied.
Last
year, the International Campaign for Freedom in the UAE (ICFUAE) called on
Emirati officials to release Roken and five others that it said should have
been released on July 16, 2019.
In
2013, the UN's Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) found Roken's
detention to be arbitrary and requested his immediate release.
According
to Lawlor, the rights advocate has endured intermittent periods in solitary
confinement during his imprisonment, purportedly without justification or
explanation.
Mansoor
has also been held in solitary confinement since his detention in 2017. He was
convicted in 2018 on charges of insulting the “status and prestige of the UAE
and its symbols,” including its leaders, and of “seeking to damage the
relationship of the UAE with its neighbors by publishing false reports and
information on social media.”
“The
human rights defender has been serving his 10-year sentence in al-Sadr prison,
where he is reportedly confined to a cell measuring four square meters with no
mattress, and limited or no access to sunlight, a shower or potable water,” the
special rapporteur said.
Lawlor
highlighted that Mansoor's health “has significantly deteriorated” after he
went on hunger strike on two occasions to protest his treatment and conditions
in prison.
Last
month, Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a damning report that detailed the
first public account of Mansoor's closed trial and of his subsequent appeal.
The
UN expert highlighted that Bin Ghaith, arrested in 2015 on charges relating to
social media posts criticizing human rights violations and political leaders,
has also been reportedly subjected to ill-treatment in al-Sadr prison and then
al-Razeen prison.
The
WGAD issued an opinion on bin Ghaith's detention, finding it arbitrary and
requesting his immediate release.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/02/11/645066/UN-rapporteur-calls-on-UAE-to-release-jailed-human-rights-advocates
--------
Report:
Israel plans to build new settlement in central Jerusalem al-Quds
11
February 2021
Israel
plans to build a new settlement in the central area of the occupied Jerusalem
al-Quds, despite international condemnation, a report says.
Israeli
newspaper Calcalist reported on Thursday that the new settlement, to be built
near Malha Mall in central Jerusalem al-Quds, will include hundreds of settler
units and offices as well as other facilities.
According
to the report, Israel seeks to build sports facilities, several 24-story
apartment buildings, 250 protected housing units, and hundreds of offices and
commercial facilities and stores in the new neighborhoods.
The
plan will be referred for approval to the so-called district planning and
building committee in Jerusalem al-Quds soon.
Earlier
this week, reports said Israeli authorities planned to expand the settlement of
Pisgat Ze’ev in Jerusalem al-Quds, and to build 900 new settler units.
More
than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli
occupation of Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem
al-Quds.
All
Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. The UN Security
Council has condemned Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied
territories in several resolutions.
Palestinians
want the West Bank as part of a future independent state with East Jerusalem
al-Quds as its capital.
Israel
to raze more Palestinian structures in West Bank
Also
on Thursday, the Israeli army threatened to demolish three Palestinian homes, a
water tank and other structures in Ain Shibli village, east of Nablus City, in
the occupied West Bank.
According
to local official Ghassan Daghlas, Israeli forces stormed the village and
delivered the demolition orders to local residents.
The
orders come a few days after the European Union called for an end to
demolitions and settlement expansion.
The
call was made by EU spokesman Peter Stano on Tuesday after Israel demolished 46
structures belonging to Palestinian families in Hamsa al-Foqa in the Jordan
Valley in the occupied West Bank earlier this week.
“The
EU recalls its firm opposition to Israel’s settlement policy and actions taken
in that context, such as forced transfers, evictions, demolitions and
confiscations of homes, which it sees as illegal under international law and as
an impediment to a viable two-state solution,” said Stano.
Israeli
authorities usually demolish Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank,
claiming that the structures have been built without permits, which are nearly
impossible to obtain. They also sometimes order Palestinian owners to demolish
their own homes or pay the demolition costs to the municipality if they do not.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/02/11/645051/Israel-plans-build-new-settlement-al-Quds
--------
President
Ghani Spoke to Tajik, Kazakh leaders over bilateral relations
11
Feb 2021
President
Ghani said in a telephone conversation with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon on
Thursday has discussed the Afghan peace process, bilateral relations, and
regional cooperation.
Presidential
Palace stated, during the conversation, both leaders stressed the expansion of
bilateral relations, regional cooperation and they also discussed the Afghan
peace process.
The
president of Tajikistan expressed his full support for the views and plans of
the Republic government on regional connectivity and the Afghan-led-owned peace
process, the statement said.
According
to the statement, the two leaders also stressed economical and trade expansions
and border cooperation.
Meanwhile,
Rahmon invited President Ghani to attend the 20th Anniversary of the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization, the event is scheduled to be held in Tajikistan by
March 2021.
Since
the fall of the Taliban regime, Afghanistan and Tajikistan have close economic
and trade ties.
Earlier
on Wednesday President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and Kassym-Jomart K. Tokayev
President of the Republic of Kazakhstan had a conversation.
During
the conversation, both sides talked over the expansion of bilateral relations,
trade relations, economic cooperation, regional issues, and the Afghan peace
process.
Both
of the leaders focused on working together to find an immediate solution for
the Afghan students in Kazakhstan.
https://www.khaama.com/president-ghani-spoke-to-tajik-kazakh-leaders-over-bilateral-relations-223322/
--------
‘Credible’
case of Chinese government genocide against Uighur Muslims, say lawyers
Tom
Batchelor
Accusations
levelled at the Chinese government of genocide against the Uighur Muslim
minority in the far western Xinjiang region are “very credible”, according to a
formal legal opinion produced in the UK.
The
text published by London-based Essex Court Chambers states there is a
“plausible” argument that the country’s president, Xi Jinping, is himself
responsible for the action, which has seen more than a million people,
including Uighurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups, imprisoned in a vast
network of concentration camps, human rights groups say.
Commissioned
by the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN), the World Uighur Congress and the
Uighur Human Rights Project, the legal opinion – first reported by the BBC –
describes how the minority group has been subject to “enslavement, torture,
rape, enforced sterilisation and persecution”.
Victims
have been "forced to remain in stress positions for an extended period of
time, beaten, deprived of food, shackled and blindfolded”, it said.
“On
the basis of the evidence we have seen, this Opinion concludes that there is a
very credible case that acts carried out by the Chinese government against the
Uighur people in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region amount to crimes against
humanity and the crime of genocide.
"China
as a State may be accused of being criminally responsible for genocide. There
would be a high threshold for establishing such responsibility. The most
significant barrier will be proving the requisite special intent."
The
legal team state they have seen “prolific credible evidence” of sterilisation
procedures carried out on women, including forced abortions, saying they
“clearly constitute a form of genocidal conduct”. They also found evidence of
children being placed in orphanages or boarding schools without parental
consent.
And
the text says there is a “credible case” against President Xi as well as Chen
Quanguo, party secretary in Xinjiang, and Zhu Hailun, the deputy secretary of
Xinjiang's people's congress.
“Mr
Xi controls the overall direction of state policy and has made a range of
speeches exhorting the punitive treatment of the Uighurs,” the opinion states.
“Mr
Chen and Mr Zhu have acted upon that overall policy by devising and implementing
the measures ... including mass detention and surveillance.
“We
consider that there is a credible case against each of these three individuals
for crimes against humanity.
"China
is a tightly controlled single-party state. It is therefore highly unlikely
that an attack on the scale of that which the evidence reveals, and especially
systematic detention on such a scale, would be carried out by state authorities
other than on the orders of senior state officials."
The
opinion, which took six months to produce and considered a vast array of
evidence including from survivors and leaked government papers, could be used
by British judges in any future case relating to the treatment of Uighurs in
China.
Siobhan
Allen, legal officer with GLAN, said: “This ground-breaking legal opinion
concludes that the atrocities occurring in XUAR [Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous
Region] credibly reach the level of severity and systematicity required to
constitute crimes against humanity and genocide.
"Governments
and businesses can no longer stand back and avoid taking action to ensure that
they are not complicit in allowing these horrific crimes to continue.”
Rahima
Mahmut, UK director of the World Uighur Congress, called the text a
"landmark moment" for Uighurs. "The finding is clear: there is
an intent to destroy Uighurs," she said.
Peter
Irwin, of the Uighur Human Rights Project, added: “This finding makes it
impossible for responsible governments to continue treating China as a normal
member of the international community."
The
outgoing Trump administration ruled last month that China's policies on Muslims
and ethnic minorities in Xinjiang constituted a “genocide” and introduced
further sanctions.
Last
week the State Department – this time under the Biden administration – said it
was “deeply disturbed” by reports of sexual abuse against women in internment
camps in Xinjiang.
People
have been subjected to torture, sterilisation and political indoctrination in
addition to forced labour as part of an assimilation campaign in a region whose
inhabitants are ethnically, religiously and culturally distinct from the Han
Chinese majority.
China
has denied all the charges and says the camps are for “re-education” purposes,
to promote economic and social development in the region and to stamp out
radicalism.
In
May, an independent tribunal will be held in the UK to establish whether the
Chinese government's alleged rights abuses against Uighur Muslims constitute
genocide.
Researchers
for the tribunal have been sifting through 1,500 documents and pieces of
evidence ahead of a public hearing set to begin on 7 May in central London.
Organisers
said they had written to the former and current Chinese ambassadors to London
to request the Chinese government's presence and cooperation, but so far received
no response.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-uighhur-muslims-genocide-legal-opinion-b1799057.html
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Sudan
cracks down on dissolved National Congress Party after violent protests
11
February ,2021
A
committee tasked with dismantling the government of toppled former president
Omar al-Bashir has issued a wide-ranging order to prosecute members of Sudan’s
ex-ruling party following days of violent protests across the country.
Posted
early on Thursday, the decree directed state governors to take action through
the public prosecutor against “all leaders of the dissolved National Congress
Party, and its active cadres and the leaders of its facades”.
Military
generals ousted hardline Islamist Bashir in April 2019 and now rule in a fragile
transitional arrangement with political parties that were part of the uprising
against him.
Over
the past few days, protests by Bashir-era loyalists have taken a violent turn
in major cities across Sudan, with government buildings and vehicles set on fire
and property pillaged.
Markets
were looted in several cities, and a spokesman for the committee described the
situation as an “economic war” against Hamdok’s government, which has struggled
with price hikes and fuel and bread shortages.
While
the NCP was formally dissolved after the coup, former Bashir supporters have
led unrest in Khartoum and other cities, and the transitional period has seen
reported coup plots and a botched assassination attempt on Prime Minister
Abdalla Hamdok.
On
Thursday the public prosecution issued an order for the arrest of eight men
including well-known Bashir allies suspected to have gone into hiding.
Hamdok
on Wednesday swore in a new cabinet and formed a working group of ministers to
monitor the aftermath of the protests.
The
committee tasked with dismantling Bashir’s repressive ruling apparatus said it
had received information about activities by former NCP members “to organize
arson and looting and terrorize unarmed citizens”.
Governors
of several states said the protests were distinct from other, peaceful
demonstrations held in protest against a worsening economic crisis.
“It
was not isolated, nor was it a sudden act or reaction, but rather an arranged
and politically planned action by the former regime,” said North Darfur Governor
Mohamed Hassan al-Arabi.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2021/02/11/Sudan-cracks-down-on-dissolved-National-Congress-Party-after-violent-protests
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India
Very
Difficult for a Young Muslim Leader to Aspire to Be India’s Prime Minister:
Congress Leader Ghulam Nabi Azad
FEB
12, 2021
Congress
leader Ghulam Nabi Azad has said it is very difficult for a young Muslim leader
to aspire to be the Prime Minister of India. “I do not foresee it in the near
future; maybe a few decades,” Azad said in an interview to HT days after he
made an emotional farewell speech in Rajya Sabha saying if any Muslim should
feel proud in the world, it should be the Indian Muslim.
Azad’s
comments in Rajya Sabha came over two years after he spoke about the vitiated
atmosphere in the country in a speech at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in
2018. In his address to AMU alumni, Azad had said the number of even Hindu
Congress candidates inviting him to campaign for them in elections has reduced
drastically as people were “afraid”.
When
asked why he referred to the Indian Muslim after his comments in 2018, Azad
said he had said in AMU that the atmosphere in the country is so vitiated that
contrary to the past where 99% of Hindu candidates would invite him to campaign
for them to get the Muslim vote, the number of invitations has gone down to 40%.
Azad added his message was also to the AMU alumni gathered there that it is
their job to be ambassadors, and to bring that India back. He said it was that
India where he contested the 1979 national election from Maharashtra with a 95%
Hindu electorate and won. “There was a Janata Party Hindu candidate against me,
but I still won.”
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/very-difficult-for-a-young-muslim-leader-to-aspire-to-be-india-s-prime-minister-azad-101613106145298.html
--------
‘Dalit
Converts To Christianity or Islam Won’t Get Quota’: Union Law Minister
Feb
12, 2021
NEW
DELHI: Dalit converts to Islam or Christianity will not be eligible for
contesting parliamentary or assembly elections from constituencies reserved for
Scheduled Castes (SC), and cannot claim other reservation benefits, law
minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said in response to a question in Rajya Sabha on
Thursday.
However,
those adopting Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist faiths would be eligible for contesting
from SC reserved seats and getting other reservation benefits, Prasad clarified
in response to a question from BJP member G V L Narasimha Rao.
Speaking
on eligibility to contest from reserved constituencies, the minister said,
“Para 3 of the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order outlines that... no person
who professes a religion different from Hindu, Sikh or Buddhist religion shall
be deemed to be a member of a Scheduled Caste.”
The
minister’s statement makes a clear distinction between Dalits adopting Islam
and Christianity with those choosing to adopt Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism.
The
Union law minister, however, clarified that there was no proposal to bring in
any amendment in the Representation of the People Act to debar SCs/STs
converting to Islam or Christianity from contesting parliamentary or assembly
elections.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/dalit-converts-to-christianity-islam-wont-get-quota/articleshow/80871535.cms
--------
AIADMK
true guardian of Muslims, says EPS; explains alliance compulsions
12th
February 2021
TIRUPUR:
The Muslim community need not fear about the AIADMK’s alliance with a
particular party, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said on Thursday while
touching upon a rarely-addressed topic. He was speaking at a marriage function
in Kangeyam, Tirupur.
“The
AIADMK is the true guardian of minority communities,” he said. “Be it MG
Ramachandran or J Jayalalithaa, former supremos of the AIADMK, neither of them
ruled the State on the basis of caste or religion. Following in their
footsteps, I have ensured that there aren’t any caste or communal conflicts in
the State in my tenure,” he said.
Alliances
for political reasons: EPS
Palaniswami
said that his government takes steps to ensure “minor” issues are immediately
addressed. “Even in the Mettupalayam incident, the person was immediately
arrested.” The Chief Minister was referring to an alleged inflammatory
statement made by a BJP functionary in the recent past, sparking communal
tension in the region.
“TN
is the most peaceful State, and AIADMK has implemented several schemes for
Muslims – Khabristan in Nachipalayam, increase in Hajj and Ulema pension,
construction of hostels for Muslim women in Chennai, and allocation of 5.145
metric tonnes of rice for 3,000 masjid every year for Ramzan.” W e will never
discriminate people on the basis of religion, the CM said. “Alliances, on the
other hand, are formed for political reasons. It is different from the basic
policy of party.
You
need not fear just because we formed alliance with another political party.
Personally, I feel that God is common for all religions.” Taking a dig at
opponents, Palaniswami said there may be others who claim to be guardians, but
real work is done only by AIADMK.
DMK
cadre only care for free biryani, says CM
A
ddressing a rally in Dharapuram area of Tirupur, Palaniswami said the DMK was
only hungry for power. “In 2006, DMK election manifesto promised to give two
acres of land to landless farmers. Did the people from this region get the farm
land?,” he asked. “Thank goodness that they did not grab land from farmers.
Since they haven’t been in power for 10 years, they think they can promise
anything under the sun and come back to power.
They
are a party of cadres who fight for free biryani, and the party president MK
Stalin does Katta Panchayat for such issues.” “When J Jayalalithaa was the
leader of Opposition in Tamil Nadu Assembly in the late 1980s, M Karunanidhi
was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. A group of members belonging to DMK
attacked J Jayalalitha inside the facility,” he recalled and added, “When the
leader of the Opposition party faced such an attack, think about the status of
common women during DMK rule.” He then mocked at the DMK promise to resolve all
grievances within 100 days and said, “even to lay a road, there are procedures like
floating tenders and making Budget estimates.
It
cannot be done overnight.” Later, Palaniswami interacted with the IT wing of
the party in Madathukulam. L ater, speaking in the Tirupur city, he said,
“Within a few days, we will be launching the public grievance number 1100. MK
Stalin can just make announcements of the schemes, but the AIADMK government
alone implements the schemes.” Terming the DMK as a corporate party created for
the welfare of a single family, Palaniswami said, “During their rule, there was
severe power failure throughout the State.
But,
the AIADMK government removed the severe problem within three years. AIADMK
government is a role model for best governance. On the other hand, MK Stalin is
claiming that he will become Chief Minister within three months. The Chief
Minister post is not a product that can be bought from the shop.” Palaniswami
said a Bronze statue of ‘Kangeyam’ bull will be installed in the Kangeyam town.
https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2021/feb/12/aiadmk-true-guardian-of-muslims-says-eps-explains-alliance-compulsions-2262865.html
--------
23
cases in as many days under ‘love jihad’ law in MP
Feb
12, 2021
Bhopal:
Madhya Pradesh averaged one case a day under the Freedom of Religion Ordinance
2020 — commonly called the ‘love-jihad’ law — in the first month of its
inception.
“Twenty-three
cases were registered under the newly passed Freedom of Religion Ordinance 2020
in January in Madhya Pradesh,” home minister Narottam Mishra said on Thursday.
The ordinance came into force on January 9.
Bhopal,
with seven cases, tops the list, followed by five in Indore Range, four each in
Jabalpur and Rewa and three in Gwalior.
“We
maintain that this is a serious issue and such forces are active across the
country. An effort has been taken in Madhya Pradesh to stop them,” Mishra said.
The
first case under the new law was registered on January 17 in Palsud police
station of Barwani district. A married man, Sohail Mansiri alias Sunny, was
arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a girl of another community for four
years by hiding his original name.
Three
days later, the state capital had its first ‘love jihad’ case, and clocked six
more in the next 11 days.
In
Mandleshwar of Khargone district, a 21-year-old college girl complained that a
man named Sahil Qureshi had posed as a Hindu and when his true identity was
revealed, started pressuring her to change her religion. Sahil has since got
bail.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/23-cases-in-as-many-days-under-love-jihad-law-in-mp/articleshow/80869469.cms
--------
Haryana
Will Bring 'Love Jihad' Law 'As Soon as Possible': Haryana Home Minister
Feb
12, 2021
New
Delhi: Haryana is planning to join the host of BJP-ruled states to have
so-called anti-‘love-jihad’ laws. The state’s home minister Anil Vij said on
Thursday that the state wants to bring a law “as soon as possible” against
religious conversion through force or fraudulent means, directing officers to
prepare a draft Bill.
Presiding
over a meeting of a “drafting committee”, the home minister said the “enactment
of this law will prevent any attempt to get religious conversion by force,
inducement, bluff of marriage or by any other unethical methods by anyone in
the state”.
“Strict
action will be taken against the culprits,” he said in an official statement.
During
the meeting, all aspects of the preliminary draft brought by the committee were
carefully considered, it said.
Laws
made on this subject in other states are also being studied, Vij added,
according to news agency PTI.
In
November last year, Vij had announced the setting up of a three-member
committee to draft a law against “love jihad”, a term used by BJP leaders and
the Sangh parivar to describe an imagined conspiracy to ‘convert’ Hindu women
to Islam.
The
announcement had come days after the Uttar Pradesh government cleared a draft
ordinance against conversion through force or fraudulent means.
Vij
had earlier said that the “drafting committee formed to frame anti-conversion
law” in Haryana comprised T.L. Satyaprakash, Navdeep Singh Virk and Deepak
Manchanda.
The
home minister had then told the Haryana assembly that the state government was
considering a law against “love jihad” and had sought information from Himachal
Pradesh.
The
Himachal Pradesh assembly had passed a Bill in 2019 against conversion by
force, inducement or through a marriage solemnised for the “sole purpose” of
adopting a new religion.
Replying
to a calling attention motion in the Haryana assembly on the murder of a young
woman in Ballabhgarh, the home minister had said, “Anyone can marry anyone,
anyone can fall in love with anyone. But if there is a conspiracy for changing
religion by trapping someone in love, then it is very important to stop that
conspiracy. We will take whatever steps are required.”
Madhya
Pradesh and Karnataka have also passed similar laws, while the BJP government
in Gujarat recently decided not to introduce a Bill in the upcoming assembly
session.
Though
the laws are ostensibly against forced conversion, several instances have given
credence to the fear that they would be used to target inter-faith couples. In
some of the cases registered in UP, police have admitted that there is no proof
of forced conversion or that the accused were falsely framed.
https://thewire.in/government/haryana-love-jihad-law-as-soon-as-possible-home-minister-anil-vij
--------
BJP
picks 31 Muslim candidates in Bharuch, its highest in district
by
Kamaal Saiyed
February
12, 2021
The
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has chosen 31 candidates from the Muslim community
in Bharuch district for the district, taluka panchayats and municipality
elections scheduled to be held on February 28.
This
is the highest number of tickets given to Muslims in this district by the BJP
so far, says district unit president Marutisinh Atodariya. Some of the nominees
were with the Congress earlier.
The
district has a sizeable number of Muslim votes apart from tribal votes. The
Congress was in power the district panchayat with its ally founded by
Chhotubhai Vasava, the Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP), which has now allied with
the Asaduddin Owaisi led All-India
Majlis-e-Ittehadul-Muslimeen (AIMIM). Owaisi held his first public meeting in
Bhar-uch on February 7 where he called upon Muslims, Dalits, tribals and OBC
voters to support the BTP.
On
Wednesday night, state BJP released the names of 320 candidates of the nine
taluka panchayats, four nagar palikas, and the district panchayat of Bharuch
district, in south Gujarat. Among the 31 Muslim candidates, which includes 17
women, the highest number of eight tickets is for Bharuch taluka panchayat
elections.
A
few days ago, Congress leader from Vagra in Bharuch, Imran Bhatti, joined the
BJP along with 200 supporters and they were felicitated by Atodariya and BJP
MLA from Vagra Arunsinh Rana. Bhatti is among those who is contesting on a BJP
ticket from one seat in the Vagra taluka panchayat.
Atodariya
told The Indian Express, “This time AIMIM has also entered the poll fray but
people will not give them votes. Even when senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel
was around, we did not face any problems… this time, we will win by a bigger
margin. BTP has only presence in few areas… We are confident of gaining power
in Bharuch district panchayat.”
Ahmed
Patel, who was three-time Lok Sabha MP from Bharuch and five-time MP in the
Rajya Sabha, belonged to Piraman village in Bharuch, passed away in 2020 due to
Covid-19 complications.
While
the Congress was in power in the Bharuch district panchayat, BJP ruled the
Bharuch Nagarpalika, Ankleshwar Nagarpalika, and Jambusar Nagarpalika. The
Congress was in power in the Amod Nagarpalika. Out of nine taluka panchayats in
the district, BJP ruled six , while BTP ruled on three — Netrang, Walia and
Zaghadia.
Atodariya
said, “Earlier we had fewer Muslim candidates but in the past five years, a
large number of Muslim people have turned BJP supporters… so this time, the
party has given tickets to 31 Muslim candidates — the highest so far. We will
definitely get benefit from them and even the party will also get good leader
among the Muslims in Bharuch.”
Talking
to The Indian Express, Imran Bhatti said, “I was with the Congress for long but
was not not given a ticket. On January 27, I joined the BJP that has shown
faith in me by giving me a ticket. I belong to Vasti Khandali village, which
has 2,000 voters… I will convince the people that if they want roads, water and
drainage, they have to vote for BJP. I became an orphan at the age of 15 and
was raised by these villagers… they give me great respect… not just Muslims but
tribals and Hindus.”
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/bjp-picks-31-muslim-candidates-in-bharuch-its-highest-in-district-7185052/
--------
Pakistan
Spokesman:
Muslim youth kills Ahmadi physician in Pakistan
12
February 2021
Peshawar,
Feb 11 (AP) A Pakistani Muslim youth shot and killed an Ahmadi homeopathic
doctor at his clinic in the northwestern city of Peshawar on Thursday, the
police and a spokesman for the minority group said.
The
attacker on Dr Abdul Qadir, 65, was immediately caught by residents and handed
over to the local police.
Saleem
Uddin, a spokesman for Ahmadi community, released a statement condemning the
attack and saying that members of their community were being constantly
targeted because of their faith.
Raiz
Khan, a police official, said they were still questioning the man who shot and
killed the physician. The motive behind the killing was still not known.
The
Ahmadi faith was established on the Indian subcontinent in the 19th century by
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, whose followers believe he was the messiah that was
promised by the Prophet Muhammad.
Pakistan''s
parliament declared Ahmadis non-Muslims in 1974. An Ahmadi can get 10 years in
prison for claiming to be a Muslim.
Since
then, members of the community have repeatedly been targeted by Islamic
extremists in the Muslim-majority nation. (AP)
https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/spokesman-muslim-youth-kills-ahmadi-physician-in-pakistan/2028297
--------
Court
orders SBP to unfreeze Mullah Mansour’s assets deposited in bank
Naeem
Sahoutara
February
12, 2021
KARACHI:
An antiterrorism court on Thursday directed the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to
refund (unfreeze) the ‘unclaimed’ money deposited in a private bank by slain
Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in order to start the process of
transferring the funds to the government treasury.
The
Taliban leader was killed in a US drone attack in 2016.
The
judge of the ATC-II issued this direction on a request made by the relevant officials
at the Allied Bank Limited, Quetta branch, seeking the court’s direction for
refund of the money lying in the slain Afghan Taliban leader’s account, which
had been frozen on the court’s order.
The
judge was hearing a case against Mullah Akhtar Mansour, alias Mohammad Wali,
alias Gul Mohammad and his two alleged absconding accomplices — Akhtar Mohammad
and Amaar — regarding generating funds through purchase and sale of properties
in Karachi using fake identities to fund terrorist activities in the country.
The
Federal Investigation Agency had lodged a case under relevant sections of the
law in July 2019.
On
Thursday, assistant attorney general Waseem Akhtar, who has been appointed as
special public prosecutor in the case by the federal government, appeared along
with investigating officer Rehmatullah Domki and additional director (legal) of
the FIA’s counter-terrorism wing Khalid Hussain Sheikh.
During
the hearing, Syed Samiullah, tehsildar of district Quetta and Sheharyar,
tehsildar (of Shah Alam) district Peshawar also appeared before the court in
response to non-bailable warrants issued for their arrest by the court.
Both
the revenue officers submitted their respective reports, as ordered by the
court under Section 88 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) regarding seizure
of the property, if any, owned by the Taliban leader and his accomplices in
both provinces.
In
the reports, the officials mentioned that no properties were found in the name
of Mullah Mansour and his absconding accomplices in both the provinces.
Samiullah
also submitted reply to a show-cause notice issued to him by the court,
offering an unconditional apology to the court for not appearing before it.
The
judge accepted his apology with a caution that the officer would work seriously
and attend the issues.
Sheharyar
also submitted a reply to the show-cause notice issued to him by the court and
requested for release of his salary.
The
judge ordered the authorities concerned to release his salary.
IO
Domki requested for next date for recording his statement of oath. Allowing the
request, the judge fixed the matter on Feb 23 for recording his statement
regarding compliance with the court’s directives for proclamation of the
absconding suspects and attachment of their properties.
In
response to a letter sent by the court, officials at the Allied Bank Limited’s
Satellite Town Branch in Quetta sent an information copy seeking a direction
for the director, banking conduct and customer protection department of the SBP
to refund unclaimed money deposited in the bank account by Mullah Akhtar
Mansour, alias Gul Mohammad. The judge directed the office to write a letter to
the SBP with direction to release the unclaimed amount lying in the bank
account of Mullah Mansour. The judge also directed the banks to submit
compliance reports.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1606842/court-orders-sbp-to-unfreeze-mullah-mansours-assets-deposited-in-bank
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Pakistan
successfully test fires surface-to-surface missile
Feb
11, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan's military on Thursday successfully test-fired a short range
surface-to-surface ballistic missile capable of hitting land and sea targets
with 'high precision' up to 490 kilometers (about 280 miles) away, the military
said.
In
a statement, it said the Babur cruise missile was "launched from a
state-of-the-art Multi Tube Missile Launch Vehicle."
According
to the statement, Pakistan's President Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Imran Khan and
the country's military leadership congratulated scientists and engineers over
successful launch of the missile.
Pakistan's
nuclear and missile program is primarily targeted at India, which also
routinely conducts missile tests.
Both
nations have nuclear arms and have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir
since gaining independence from Britain in 1947.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pakistan-successfully-test-fires-surface-to-surface-missile/articleshow/80847570.cms
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Iran
Slams Pak For Harbouring Terrorists After Outfit Kidnaps Iranian Soldiers
12
February, 2021
Tehran
[Iran], February 12 (ANI): Iran has slammed Pakistan for harbouring terrorists
and terror outfits after Jaish ul-Adl, a Pakistan-based terrorist group,
claimed responsibility for kidnapping Iranian soldiers.
Iran
shares a nearly 1,000 km border with Pakistan. In recent years, Iran has
witnessed several cross-border attacks carried out by Jaish al-Adl and other
affiliated groups, which Iran considers as a terrorist group.
On
February 5, the Iranian security forces conducted a surgical operation across
the Pakistan border and rescued two of its soldiers from a terror camp, Greek
City Times reported.
In
October 2018, the Jaish ul-Adl, a Salafi jihadist terrorist organisations,
kidnapped 12 Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards (IRGC).
The
group is also mentioned in the Pakistan's National Counter Terrorism Authority
(NACTA) list, in which the organisations considered to be terrorist by
Islamabad are inserted and many of them are used to operate near the
Iran-Pakistan border, Greek City Times reported.
The
Jaish ul-Adl organisation operates in the Sistan-Baluchestan region, divided
between Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
In
spite of the redaction of the NACTA, Pakistan has seen itself involved in
supporting extremist outfits and their camps for over three decades - first to
secure its turn in the Cold War days, and later to influence the security
dynamics in South Asia. However, neighbouring India, Iran and Afghanistan have
borne the brunt of cross-border actions.
After
the terrorist attack, by Jaish ul-Adl which took place in 2019, killed 27
military personnel, Mohammad Bagheri, chief of general staff of the Iranian
Armed Forces, said, "If, for whatever reason, the activities of the
training centres and shelters of terrorist groups in Pakistan continue, Iran
has the right to fight these centres based on the UN charter and will adopt
related decisions if required."
Moreover,
Major General Mohammad-Ali Jafari said: "The Government of Pakistan knows
the location of these elements that are dangerous to Islam and should be
accountable for the crimes the terrorists have committed".
Meanwhile,
this tension led Iran seeking India's help in combating terrorism in the
region.
Both
India and Iran saw similar suicide attacks targeting their respective
paramilitary forces. However, following India's footstep, Iran began carrying
out surgical strikes to finish off the terrorists inside Pakistan's territory.
On
February 14, around 40 CRPF personnel were killed in Jammu and Kashmir's
Pulwama district after a suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden vehicle into
their convoy. The attack was orchestrated by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed
(JeM) outfit.
Notably,
both Jaish al-Adl and Jaish-e-Mohammed groups are based in Pakistan.
This
group is officially banned in Pakistan but it still operates and raised funds
in the country.
Masood
Azhar, JeM commander, is responsible for carrying out many attacks in India,
yet pakistan denied to extradite him claiming the lack of evidence.
Moreover,
thanks to its affinity with China, Pakistan could block this Indian request at
UN level too, Greek City Times reported.
India
responded it with a cross-border air strike killing over 300 terrorists after
the terrorist outfit claimed the responsibility for the attacks.
Citing
the report by United Nations Security Council (UNSC), Greek City Times reported
that around 6,000- 6,500 terrorists belonging to Pakistan-supported
Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP) were present in Afghanistan in 2020.
The
report mentioned that the TTP is linked with the Afghan-based affiliate of the
Islamic State Group and that some of its members have joined the IS.
The
TTP terrorists represent a threat both for Afghanistan and Pakistan, because
they are responsible for many horrific attacks in both countries.
Last
year in the month of August, Afghanistan accused Islamabad's border forces of
killing at least 15 Afghan civilians in a border crossing point.
Afghanistan's
Foreign Ministry called for a serious investigation and Pakistan blamed Afghan
security forces for starting the clash at the border. According to Islamabad,
security forces responded in self-defence only.
The
UNSC report came soon after India urged Pakistan to contemplate why it is
universally acknowledged as the "international epicentre" of
terrorism and the "best safe haven for terrorists", reported Greek
City Times.
Despite
calls and pressures from the international community to take sustained,
verifiable and irreversible actions against such outfits operating from its
soil, Pakistan is yet to act. (ANI)
http://www.businessworld.in/article/Iran-slams-Pak-for-harbouring-terrorists-after-outfit-kidnaps-Iranian-soldiers-/12-02-2021-376661/
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Pakistan:
5 new educational boards established for seminaries
February
11, 2021
Zubair
Qureshi
Islamabad:
The Pakistan government has decided to set up five new educational boards for
religious seminaries representing various schools of thought of Islamic Shariah
in the country.
According
to the Education Ministry, these boards will not only issue certificates/degrees
to the passing out students, they will also assist in the seminaries’
registration process.
The
registration was earlier halted after existing boards boycotted it in the past.
Five
boards
The
five Wafaq or Boards have been notified by Ministry of Education after approval
by the Higher Education Commission (HEC).
The
new boards are Ittehad Madaris Al-Arabia Pakistan for Deobandi school of
thought, Ittehad Madaris Al-Islamia Pakistan for Ahle-Hadith, Nizam-ul-Madaris
Pakistan for Barelvi-Minhaj-ul-Quran), Majma-ul-Madaris Taleem ul Kitab Wal
Hikmat for Ahle-Tashee and Wafaq-ul-Madaris Al-Islamia Al-Rizvia Pakistan for
Barelvi.
Minister
for Education Shafqat Mahmood and Minister for Religious Affairs Pir Noorul Haq
Qadri awarded registration certificates to the representatives of the new
boards at a ceremony.
Addressing
the participants of the ceremony, Shafqat Mahmood said the gulf between the
state and the religious seminaries has been filled.
He
announced establishment of 16 offices across the country to facilitate
registration of the seminaries and said the Federal Board of Intermediate
Education would provide 20 scholarships to seminary students.
“The
government wants to promote education as much as possible and we will always
take the centres of religious education on board,” he added.
Currently,
there are five education boards for religious seminaries, one each for four
mainstream schools of thought in the country – Shia, Barelvi, Deobandi, Ahle
Hadith, while the fifth board belongs to the madaris managed by
Jamaat-i-Islami.
These
boards have been functioning since 1960s and the decision to introduce new
boards was earlier opposed by seminaries, which termed it as an act to reduce
the stature of religious education in the country.
Religious
education
Jamiat
Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman who is also head of the
11-party opposition alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) while reacting
to the establishment of new boards dismissed the government’s move saying it would
undermine status of religious education.
“These
are our ‘wafaq’ not the government’s and we don’t need any government’s
approval to manage affairs of these boards,” said Fazlur Rehman in a statement.
The
new seminary boards are under the regulatory ambit of Directorate General of
Religious Education (DGRE) a subordinate department of the education ministry.
Special
Assistant to the Prime Minister on Middle East (ME) and Interfaith Harmony
Hafiz Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi also termed setting up of new boards a landmark
step in ensuring interfaith harmony in the country.
https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/pakistan/pakistan-5-new-educational-boards-established-for-seminaries-1.77126671
--------
Supreme
Court restrains Justice Isa from hearing PM’s cases
Hasnaat
Malik
February
12, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
In
an unprecedented move, the Supreme Court has ruled that Justice Qazi Faez Isa
should not hear cases involving Prime Minister Imran Khan.
“The
Hon Chief Justice of Pakistan, therefore, observed that in these circumstances
it would not be proper for the Hon Judge to hear the matter considering that he
had already filed a petition against the Prime Minister of Pakistan, in his
personal capacity. Therefore, to uphold the principle of un-biasness and
impartiality, it would be in the interest of justice that the Hon Judge should
not hear matters involving the Prime Minister of Pakistan,” says a five-page
written order of Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed.
A
five-judge larger bench of the Supreme Court led by the CJP and comprising Justice
Mushir Alam, Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Ijaz
ul Ahsan on Thursday disposed of a case related to news report citing him as
announcing allocation of Rs500 million to all lawmakers ahead of the Senate
polls.
The
written order states that one of the bench member, Justice Qazi Faez Isa,
sought to place on record photocopies of certain documents statedly received by
him from some anonymous source through a WhatsApp message.
It
further states that the copies of such documents were handed over by the judge
to other members of the bench. A copy was also handed over to Attorney General
for Pakistan Khalid Jawed Khan. Justice Isa also stated that he was unsure if
the documents were genuine.
The
AGP submitted that since the authenticity of the documents was questionable,
these might not be taken on record. He further submitted that in any event, the
judge would become a complainant in the matter and in that capacity it would
not be appropriate for the judge to hear the matter.
After
the issuance of the order, a debate has started whether Justice Isa is eligible
to hear cases related to the government affairs.
A
12-judge full court of the Supreme Court had held in 1989 that “one set of
judges of a constituted Bench of Supreme Court, cannot issue a direction to the
other set of Judges or any of the Judges of the Bench, not to associate
themselves or himself in hearing of a matter”.
Likewise,
the Supreme Court in another order ruled that only judge himself can decide
about allegations of biasness against him.
However,
former attorney general Anwar Mansoor Khan in a TV talk show stated that in
view of the order, Justice Isa could not hear cases related to the federal
government, adding that this order should have been passed earlier.
However,
one section of lawyers considers this order as a big relief for the prime
minister.
Previously,
the Pakistan People Party (PPP) had raised objections of biasness against then
chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. Likewise, allegation of bias was
levelled by the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) against then chief justice
Mian Saqib Nisar. However, both parties could not succeed in recusing them from
hearing cases related to them.
On
the last date of hearing on Wednesday, when the chief justice was dictating
order, Justice Isa requested him to add that the finance ministry’s report
should be duly signed by prime minister. Upon this, the same order was passed.
However,
when the bench resumed the hearing on Thursday, Justice Bandial asked Attorney
General Khan whether the prime minister was personally answerable on such
matters. Referring to Article 248 of Constitution, he asked as to why the
attorney general did not raise objection in this regard.
The
apex court judge wondered as to how the court could go against the prime
minister if he was not personally responsible, adding that according to the
rules of business, the secretary was the government, and not the prime
minister.
“Do
not cause us, which is illegal and unconstitutional,” Justice Bandial further
observed. Upon this, the attorney general agreed and stated that the question
related to immunity under Article 248 could be raised at any time.
Justice
Isa, however, responded that it is unclear at this time if there is any
constitutional cover to the prime minister on his political actions. However,
in the past courts have been known to summon the prime ministers, he added.
“We
are not the enemy, we are the protectors of the people’s money and the Constitution,”
he stated.
About
measures to curb corruption in the country, Justice Isa said: “Is it not the
responsibility of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to take action
against corrupt practices?” He also stated that the prime minister had criticised
the five-year term for the government as being too short.
Earlier,
the bench disposed of the development fund case after finance ministry’s
report, signed by the prime minister as well.
“In
view of the above position on record, it appears that the queries raised by
this court in the order dated 03.02.2021 have been responded/addressed by all
the respective Governments and thus, we see no reason to further proceed with
the matter. Accordingly, the Civil Miscellaneous Application No.490 of 2021 in
Constitution Petition No.20 of 2013 is disposed of,” says the order.
The
prime minister in the report stated that no public funds are being distributed
to the parliamentarians by the federal government and any report to the
contrary in the media is incorrect. “No money will be handed over to the
legislatures to carry out the development schemes,” says the statement.
The
report further states that the finance division has not allocated or handed
over money to any legislature or any person nor has it intended to do so. There
is no such provision in the public finance management system, the undertaking
added.
“The
finance division has not received any direction or request from any quarter to
allocate these funds or any other funds to any specific project or any project
identified by a legislature or any other person,” it further added.
The
report says that there is no discretionary allocation at the disposal of the
prime minister, federal minister, parliamentarian, or any other person, under
the existing budgetary system. As such, expenditures incurred are never
person-specific. “Rather they are Demand-specific, duly approved by the
National Assembly.”
It
further states that none of the development funds shall be handed over to any
of the federal ministers, parliamentarians or any other person under the
existing budget and that whatever budgetary provisions have been made in the
annual budget, the same will be utilised in the manner, as provided in the
Constitution and other applicable laws and regulations.
The
reports of the government of the Punjab and, also the government of Sindh, in
specific terms, have responded that no development fund is going to be given to
any of the MPAs/ministers/notables of their respective provinces and that the
development funds shall be used and spent as per the constitutional mandate and
the applicable rules framed by the respective governments for utilisation of
the development funds provided in the annual budget
The
apex court, the other day, had sought written undertaking from the federal
government, signed by the prime minister, that the development funds would not
be given to any lawmaker in violation of the Constitution.
The
attorney general had submitted a report signed by the Principal Secretary to
the prime minister Azam Khan that no fund would be given to any lawmaker in
violation of the SC judgment.
This
came after a two-judge bench, comprising Justice Isa and Justice Baqar, took
notice of a news report and an editorial published respectively on January 28
and February 1 in a newspaper about the development grants.
The
court directed its office to issue notices to the federal government through
the cabinet secretary or the principal secretary to the prime minister,
secretary of the finance ministry and all provincial governments through their
respective chief secretaries and finance secretaries.
The
bench had asked them to submit their respective responses and replies with
regards to the prime minister alleged announcement. The court also issued
notices to the AGP Khalid Javed Khan and all provincial advocates general.
The
written order is unsigned. So, it is clear that whether Justice Isa will agree
with order or not.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2283653/supreme-court-restrains-justice-isa-from-hearing-pms-cases
--------
4
soldiers martyred after terrorists attack army check post in South Waziristan:
ISPR
Naveed
Siddiqui
February
12, 2021
Four
soldiers were martyred after terrorist's opened fire on a security forces post
in Makeen, South Waziristan, late Thursday night, the military's media affairs
wing said on Friday.
In
a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that troops
responded promptly and killed four terrorists. "During the exchange of
fire, four soldiers embraced shahadat," the statement added.
The
martyred officials were identified as Lance Naik Imran Ali, Sepoy Atif
Jahangir, Sepoy Aneesur Rehman and Sepoy Aziz.
"Area
sanitisation in progress," the ISPR statement said.
President
Dr Arif Alvi condemned the terrorist attack and expressed grief over the
martyrdom of army personnel. He also sympathised with the bereaved families and
prayed for their strength so they can bear the loss with fortitude.
PPP
Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari offered condolences for the martyred officials
and expressed solidarity with their families.
"The
sacrifices of our martyrs will not be forgotten," he said, adding that
implementation of the National Action Plan was essential for rooting out
terrorists and their facilitators.
Earlier
this month, four terrorists were killed during an exchange of fire with
security forces in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan tribal district.
According
to the ISPR, security forces observed presence of terrorists in a compound in
Mir Ali. As soon as the troops cordoned off the area, terrorists opened fire.
During the intense exchange of fire, four terrorists were killed.
The
ISPR said that these terrorists were involved in kidnapping for ransom,
extortion, raids on security forces and IED explosions.
During
the conduct of the operation, Naib Subedar Amin Ullah, 42, a resident of
Chitral, and sepoy Sher Zamin, 24, a resident of Landi Kotal, embraced
martyrdom. Four other soldiers were injured, the ISPR said.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1606940/4-soldiers-martyred-after-terrorists-attack-army-check-post-in-south-waziristan-ispr
--------
Europe
EU
lawmaker: EU silent on ongoing Saudi-led 'genocide in Yemen
11
February 2021
An
independent member of the European Parliament (EP) from Ireland says Saudi
Arabia and its allies continue their genocide in Yemen without a word of
protest from the European Union or the so-called human rights defenders.
Addressing
an open session of the EP on Wednesday, Mick Wallace said Saudi Arabia launched
its war on the Yemeni people at a time when the Ansarullah movement was trying
to get the country out of an economic crisis caused by the former Yemeni
government’s subservience to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the
World Bank.
Wallace
said, "Foreign powers have been trying to carve up, exploit, and pauperize
Yemen and its people" for years, adding that former Saudi-backed Yemeni
president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, "dutifully followed the IMF and World Bank
reform programs for two decades until the people of Yemen had enough.”
Saleh
stepped down after months of protests and handed power to his deputy, Abd
Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, as part of a deal backed by the US and Saudi Arabia.
“[Former
US President Barack] Obama helped install the puppet Hadi, promised change and
elections. What Yemen got was more austerity, privatization and land grabs by
foreign investors,” Wallace said.
During
his three years in office, Hadi was constantly under fire from opposition
groups for widespread corruption in his administration and also for failing to
thwart the rising threat of the Yemen-based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
(AQAP).
“Ansarullah
put a stop to the plunder in 2014. They negotiated a deal with Hadi and others,
making elections the top priority, but the Saudi-led coalition went to war to
stop the prospects of peace, power-sharing and independence in Yemen,” the EU
lawmaker added.
In
September 2014, Ansarullah and Hadi’s former regime signed a UN-brokered power
sharing agreement. In early 2015, Hadi resigned and later fled to Aden and then
to Saudi Arabia. However, he rescinded his resignation one month later.
Then,
he fled to Saudi Arabia along with most of his officials and declared Aden as
their new capital. However, they have spent most of their time in the Saudi
capital, Riyadh.
The
Ansarullah movement took over state matters after the resignation and escape of
Hadi, which had thrown the country into a state of uncertainty and threatened a
total security breakdown in Yemen amid rising AQAP insurgency.
Saudi
Arabia and a number of its regional allies -- including the United Arab
Emirates (UAE) -- launched their brutal war against Yemen in March 2015 to
eliminate the Ansarullah movement and restore Hadi to power in Yemen.
Wallace
noted that the Saudi-led aggressors have killed tens of thousands of Yemenis
and committed brutal crimes with Western help.
The
#Saudi led Coalition, with Western support, went to War to stop Peace, Power
Sharing + Independence in #Yemen - With hardly a word from #EU or usual 'Human
Rights defenders', they began a Genocide on the people of Yemen.They're still
at it - But Yemen is not for lying down... pic.twitter.com/qdzW33i2aO
—
Mick Wallace (@wallacemick) February 10, 2021
“You
say you care about democracy, why don’t you stop the genocide? Stop the
plundering of Yemen. And allow elections to take place. Who’d win? Well that’s
non of our business, it’s for the people of Yemen to decide that, not the EU,
Saudi Arabia or the UAE, not the US,… or anyone else,” he said.
“It’s
justice they need more than aid.”
The
US and European countries are major suppliers of weapons in the Saudi-led
aggression against Yemen.
According
to independent estimates, the Saudi war has claimed more than 120,000 lives.
The
UN says more than 24 million Yemenis are in dire need of humanitarian aid,
including 10 million suffering from extreme levels of hunger. The world body
refers to the situation in Yemen as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
The
Saudi war has also taken a heavy toll on the country’s infrastructure,
destroying hospitals, schools, and factories.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/02/11/645059/EU-lawmaker-Saudis-committing-genocide-Yemen-
--------
EU
Parliament calls for ban on arms sale to Saudi, UAE
Omer
Tugrul Cam
11.02.2021
BRUSSELS
The
European Parliament on Thursday called on EU member states to ban arms sale to
Saudi Arabia and the UAE over violations of human rights in Yemen.
A
joint motion adopted by the European Parliament recalled Germany’s arms sale
ban to Saudi Arabia and Italy’s ban to UAE and Saudi Arabia. Lawmakers said
some EU countries are also planning to join the ban while others continue arms
sale to these countries and violate the common stance of the EU Council.
The
European Parliament also welcomed the US decision to halt arms sales to Saudi
Arabia and to suspend the transfer of F-35 jets to the UAE.
Lawmakers
also called on “EU and its Member States to use all the tools at their disposal
to hold all perpetrators of severe human rights violations to account” and
called “for the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime to be deployed in order
to impose targeted sanctions.”
Vredesactie,
a Belgian non-government organization, presented new evidence on Wednesday that
arms produced in Belgium were being used by Saudi forces in Yemen.
After
analyzing video footage, satellite images and photos, the NGO found that
weapons manufactured in Belgium’s Wallonia region by arms companies FN Herstal
and Mecar were used in the battle of the Jabara Valley in North Yemen in 2019.
The
investigation also refuted the Wallonian government’s argument that the Saudi
National Guard was only operating in Saudi Arabia and was not involved in
foreign military conflicts.
Yemen
has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when Iran-backed Houthi rebels
overran much of the country, including the capital, Sana’a, forcing President
Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi to flee the country the following year.
The
crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a
devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.
Tens
of thousands of Yemenis including civilians are believed to have been killed in
the conflict, which has led to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises
with 3.65 million people internally displaced and 15 million in need of
immediate humanitarian aid.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/eu-parliament-calls-for-ban-on-arms-sale-to-saudi-uae/2142020
--------
UN:
Bring home kids from Syria with possible extremist links
By
EDITH M. LEDERER
11
February 2021
UNITED
NATIONS -- The U.N. counter-terrorism chief on Wednesday urged the repatriation
of tens of thousands of women and children suspected of links to the Islamic
State extremist group, warning that many are being radicalized in deteriorating
detention camps in Syria and Iraq.
Vladimir
Voronkov told the U.N. Security Council that nearly two years after the defeat
of the militant extremists on the ground “some 27,500 foreign children are
still in harms way” in camps in northeastern Syria, including about 8,000 from
some 60 countries other than Iraq. He said 90% of them are under age 12.
Tragically,
Voronkov said, the international community has made “hardly any progress” in
addressing the issue of these children and women even though the “challenges
and risks are growing more serious with neglect, and could have a long-term
impact not just in the region but globally.”
His
call for action was echoed by Jeffrey DeLaurentis, an acting U.S. deputy
ambassador who spoke on behalf of President Joe Biden’s new administration. He
said Biden is committed to working with the international coalition that the
U.S. established in 2014 to rout the Islamic State group from Iraq and Syria,
“to ensure this terrorist group is defeated on a lasting and comprehensive
basis.”
“We
watch with concern as women and children languish in camps in dire conditions
with little access to education, increasing the potential for their radicalization,”
DeLaurentis said.
He
warned that the global threat from Islamic State extremists “will grow if the
international community does not repatriate their citizens.”
Voronkov
said that “the already dire humanitarian and security situation in the
detention facilities and displacement camps is deteriorating even further,
especially in Al-Hol camp” in northeastern Syria.
“The
most basic of human rights are undermined,” he said. “Many instances of
terrorist radicalization, fund-raising training and incitement have been
reported.”
According
to a report last week from U.N. experts monitoring sanctions against the
Islamic State group, there are approximately 65,000 residents in Al-Hol, vastly
more than its intended capacity, but the number of guards fell from 1,500 in
mid-2019 to 400 in late 2020.
The
panel of experts said some 10,000 foreign women and children are in an Al-Hol
annex, where some minors “are reportedly being indoctrinated and prepared to
become future ... operatives” for the Islamic State group.
At
another camp in northeastern Syria called Roj, where the conditions are more
comfortable but security is “more intrusive and effective," the panel said
the cost of being smuggled out "to a safe destination has been reported at
approximately $14,000 compared with between $2,500 and $3,000 from Hol.”
Voronkov
told the Security Council that in October the Islamic State group reiterated
“that orchestrating jailbreaks and assisting escapees was a priority.”
He
commended Kazakhstan, Russia and Uzbekistan for bringing home hundreds of
children from Syria. He urged other countries, especially in Europe, that have
carried out fewer repatriations, to “actively step up their efforts.”
Voronkov
also warned that some 10,000 Islamic State fighters, “including foreign terrorist
fighters in the low thousands, remain active in the region, the majority of
them in Iraq, pursuing a protracted insurgency.”
The
panel of experts said an unidentified country estimated in November that there
were approximately 11,000 male IS fighters detained in northeastern Syria,
including 1,700 from foreign countries, 1,600 Iraqis, 5,000 Syrians and 2,500
“of unknown nationality.” They said 100 male minors were held at the Houri
camp.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/bring-home-kids-syria-extremist-links-75817098?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1992299_
--------
'Turkey
is part of Europe and will be part of new EU'
Metin
Mutanoglu
11.02.2021
A
senior Turkish expert on EU affairs on Wednesday expressed his confidence that
Turkey will be part of variable-geometry European Union -- a method of
integration acknowledging irreconcilable differences.
It
has been 62 years since Turkey’s membership application by Adnan Menderes,
modern Turkey's first democratically elected prime minister, to the EU in 1959.
Despite the best efforts of Prime Minister Turgut Ozal in 1980s and other
Turkish leaders from 1990s onwards, no concrete result has come out yet.
Negotiations
for full membership that started in 2004 seem to have frozen after the defeated
coup of July 15, 2016 in Turkey.
Turkey,
however, has been trying to revive the relations since then.
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s statement that Turkey’s future lies in Europe
during his video conference on Jan. 9, 20201 with Ursula von der Leyen,
president of the EU Commission, is hailed as a significant step.
EU,
on the other hand, seeks its new direction post-Brexit and amid the refugee
crisis.
On
behalf of Anadolu Agency, Metin Mutanoglu, the deputy director-general and
editor-in-chief, interviewed Irfan Kayar Ulger, a senior scholar on Turkish-EU
relations at Kocaeli University in northwestern Turkey.
AA:
Ulger, as you might recognize starting the accession negotiation on Oct. 3,
2005, was a profound step in Turkish-EU relations like the Customs Union was.
However, we couldn’t proceed as we wished in the last 60 years. So, could you
please inform us of the latest situation?
ULGER:
Let us start then by recalling recent decades of the Turkish-EU relations.The
accession negations started on Oct. 3, 2005, five years after the Helsinki
Summit of 1999 in which Turkey was officially designated as a candidate
country.
The
screening process, during which the combability of the EU’s ‘Acquis
Communautarie’ with the Turkish law and regulations was examined, lasted one
year. And then the issue of negotiation chapters came to the agenda. By then,
Turkish public was strongly pro-EU and had high expectations over the country’s
membership in the Union. Unfortunately, within the first couple of years, we
started to experience frustrations.
The
first surprise came in 2006 when the Council of the EU vetoed eight of 35
negotiation chapters by using the dispute between Turkey and the EU over the
inclusion of the Southern Cyprus Administration to the first protocol as
pretext. This was followed by then French President Sarkozy vetoing five
negotiation chapters, and the Southern Cyprus administration vetoing six
negotiation chapters in 2009.
Presently,
16 out of 35 negotiation chapters are opened. Fourteen negotiation chapters
remain blocked. Since 2016, no new chapter was opened for negotiations. As
such, accession negotiations are stalled in practice even though they are still
underway legally.
Against
this background, it would be right to claim that legal and technical problems
derived from the EU’s Negotiation Framework, which entails each member states’
approval for new chapters to be opened with a negotiating state, are profound
obstacles.
That
is to say, Turkey’s keen historical support to Turkish Cypriots and the EU
member Southern Cyprus administration block Turkey’s path to EU membership.
AA:
All things considered, would you share with us your perspective on Turkey’s EU
membership?
ULGER:
In my opinion, Turkey’s ambition for EU membership is right. Historically
speaking, the West has been influential in the improvement of democracy and
basic rights and freedom in Turkey.
For
instance, Turkey’s transformation to a multi-party regime in 1946 occurred
under the pressure of the European Council.
Likewise,
the increase in Turkey’s prosperity also became possible thanks to its close
ties with the EU. Custom Union Treaty of 1996 between Turkey and EU boosted the
flow of foreign direct investment to Turkey and hence increased the per capita
income.
Turkey
is right in thinking that the EU wouldn’t allow it in anyways. Uncertainty on
Turkey’s membership seems to have been derived from the EU. Yet, the situation
is a bit more complicated.
It
has something to do with disagreements between EU member states regarding which
direction the EU should follow after the enlargements which incorporated former
Eastern Bloc countries.
Secondly,
after the rejection of the draft for the EU Constitution by France and the
Netherlands in 2005, further integration of the Union stalled.
Thirdly,
we presently witness emergence of Islamophobia and Xenophobia, and populist
ultra-nationalistic parties. This, combined with the flow of refugees to Europe
from the Middle Eastern countries after the Arab Spring, negatively influenced
the European public view of Turkey.
There
are countries such as Spain, Italy, and Malta which support Turkey’s
membership. They, however, are not able to convince others to allow Turkey in.
AA:
As you might have followed, Erdogan held a video call with Ursula von der Leyen
on Jan.9, and Foreign Minister Cavusoglu met EU foreign policy chief Josef
Borrell in Brussels. Under the light of these recent developments, do you think
problems between Turkey and the EU will be solved sometime soon?
ULGER:
In my view, there are now three options ahead for Turkish-EU relations.
First,
the EU accepting its mistakes and developing a positive, constructive attitude
toward Turkey. This, nevertheless, seems not so likely.
The
second, Turkey cutting its ties with Europe and aligning itself with Russia,
China, and Iran, and focusing on the East. I consider this extreme and
unlikely.
And
the third option is redefining the Turkish-EU relations by taking into
consideration the historical context. What I mean is an agreement like the
European Free Trade Agreement (EFTA) which would allow the free flow of goods,
services, capital, and people between Turkey and the EU.
I
believe through such agreement, which I see likely, Turkey will fortify its
position in Europe and the world.
AA:
What would you suggest to the Turkish public? Shall we stay frustrated or
develop a rational approach on Turkish-EU relations?
ULGER:
Historically speaking, Turks have been a part of European history. Hence, it is
only normal for Turkey to take its place in the European Union. Owing to human
potential and the spirit of entrepreneurship it has, Turkey potentially can
fill the vacuum left by Brexit. In this regard, I see the recent reform push
mentioned by the government as an important chance to restore Turkey’s image in
Europe.
AA:
Lastly, contemplating the economic and political developments produced by the
pandemic and Brexit, I would like to ask you what kind of future you predict
for the EU?
ULGER:
I am convinced that the Union will include a different, variable structure in
the future. At the core, there will be states which attained the highest level
of integration. The second circle will consist of the Eurozone countries. The
third circle will be the EFTA-like zone. And the last circle will be a custom
union zone. Turkey is currently in the fourth circle.
Yet,
I believe it will be possible for Turkey to take place in the third or even the
second circle.
I
would suggest being pragmatic toward the EU rather than over-pessimistic or
optimistic.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkey-is-part-of-europe-and-will-be-part-of-new-eu/2141014
--------
North
America
US,
Turkish navies conduct joint exercises in Black Sea
Dilara
Hamit
12.02.2021
The
US ambassador to Turkey welcomed the holding of joint drills Thursday by American
and Turkish forces.
“We
welcome this opportunity for American Navy ships USS Donald Cook and USS Porter
to conduct exercises with the Turkish armed forces in the Black Sea,” said
David Satterfield in a statement.
“As
NATO allies, we share a commitment to peace and stability in Europe and the
Middle East. Joint exercises build confidence, improve communications and
reinforce our already strong security partnership in the Black Sea and the
wider region,” he added.
According
to the statement, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Donald
Cook, USS Porter and a US Navy P-8A from Patrol Squadron 46 participated in the
joint air and surface exercises with Turkish frigates TCG Orucreis and TCG
Turgutreis and two Turkish F-16 fighters alongside reconnaissance aircraft. USS
Donald Cook,
"The
four surface ships met in the Black Sea early in the morning to prepare for a
full day of interoperability, demonstrating the US Navy’s continued commitment
to Turkey and NATO cooperation in the region," the statement said.
Vice
Adm. Gene Black also said that Turkey was a highly valued ally and NATO
maritime partner whose joint operations with the US Navy in the Black Sea
reinforce the asymmetric advantage of the NATO alliance.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/us-turkish-navies-conduct-joint-exercises-in-black-sea/2142199
--------
Yellen:
Use of cryptos for terrorism growing problem
Ovunc
Kutlu
11.02.2021
US
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the misuse of cryptocurrencies, like
Bitcoin, for terrorism is a growing problem.
"I
see the promise of these new technologies, but I also see the reality:
cryptocurrencies have been used to launder the profits of online drug
traffickers; they’ve been a tool to finance terrorism," she said Wednesday
at the Treasury's inaugural US Financial Sector Innovation Policy Roundtable.
"We’re
living amidst an explosion of risk related to fraud, money laundering,
terrorist financing, and data privacy ... By working together, we can better
stem the flow of dark money from organized crime and terrorist
financiers," she added.
US
Congress passed in December the Anti-Money Laundering Act and gave the Treasury
a mandate to renovate combating illicit finance framework, which was initially
designed during 1970s, and has not been updated since.
The
Act is part of the National Defense Authorization Act that requires anti-money
laundering and countering the financing of terrorism laws to be updated.
Yellen
stressed that the update would be able to spot criminals who want to sell
weapons of mass destruction in the black market.
While
Yellen was the Federal Reserve Chair, she was skeptical of Bitcoin and other
cryptocurrencies and said she was "not a fan" in 2017.
This
has become the third time Yellen has spoken about cryptocurrencies this year.
During her confirmation hearing for Treasury Secretary in January, she told the
Senate Finance Committee that use of cryptos in terrorism was "a
particular concern." She softened her stance later in written remarks
saying cryptocurrencies could be beneficial to the existing financial system as
well.
Although
cryptocurrencies make it easier for users to move liquidity between countries,
crypto markets and service providers have made it mandatory to record users'
identities, and blockchain technology keeps massive information on money
actions.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/yellen-use-of-cryptos-for-terrorism-growing-problem-/2141289
--------
Biden
Govt Supports Repatriating Jihadists: US Diplomat
10/02/2021
President
Joe Biden's administration believes countries should repatriate jihadists and
their families to counter the threat from the Islamic State group, an American
diplomat told the United Nations on Wednesday.
"The
global threat from Isis will grow if the international community does not
repatriate their citizens," said Jeffrey DeLaurentis, the acting US
ambassador for special political affairs.
Former
president Donald Trump's government also supported the repatriation of fighters
who went to fight abroad, mainly in Syria and Iraq.
Several
European countries -- including France -- refuse to repatriate adults,
believing they should be tried in countries where they are accused of
committing crimes.
They
only accept the return of their children on a case-by-case basis.
"Beyond
being the best option from a security standpoint, repatriation is also simply
the right thing to do," said DeLaurentis during a Security Council video
conference dedicated to the threat of terrorism.
"It
is estimated that 90 percent of children in the camps are under 12 and 50
percent under five."
"We
watch with concern as women and children languish in camps in dire conditions,
with little access to education, increasing the potential for the radicalization,"
he added.
DeLaurentis
warned that the IS group "remains a serious threat."
The
group exploits instability in Iraq and Syria, demonstrates intentions to
"execute attacks abroad and continues to inspire terrorist attacks from
sub-saharan Africa to the Asia-Pacific theater," he told diplomats.
He
said there were tens of thousands of suspected foreign terrorist fighters in
conflict zones.
Beyond
those areas "there is a surge in the threat posed by Isis affiliates
around the world, especially on the African continent," DeLaurentis said.
"It
is alarming but not unexpected to see these affiliates across Africa, working
together. This poses a danger to us all," he explained.
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210210-biden-govt-supports-repatriating-jihadists-us-diplomat?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1992299_
--------
Arab
World
Oman
content with current Israel relationship in terms of dialogue: Foreign minister
11
February ,2021
Oman
is satisfied with its current relationship with Israel, the foreign minister
said on Thursday, even after two fellow Gulf Arab states normalized ties with
Israel and raised US hopes others would follow suit.
“As
regards Israel we are content so far with the level of our current relations
and dialogue, which involves the appropriate channels of communication,”
Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said. Oman, he added, was committed to peace
between Israel and the Palestinians based on a two-state solution.
Gulf
neighbors the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain normalized relations with Israel
last year, becoming just the third and fourth Arab states to do so in more than
70 years. The administration of then-US President Donald Trump had hoped other
Gulf states would also establish formal ties.
Away
from the Gulf, Morocco and Sudan have also since normalized relations with
Israel.
Busaidi
also said Oman was ready to help with rescuing Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal,
fraying since 2018 when Trump withdrew the United States from the pact, but
felt that existing US communication lines with Tehran could suffice.
Asked
at an online event about the chance of Oman mediating in new efforts to restore
the deal Iran signed with world powers, Busaidi said Muscat has a very good
relationship with both Tehran and Washington and was ready to assist if needed.
“I
believe the channels are open directly between the foreign policy teams in
Washington and Iran. I see no reason why those channels can’t be reactivated,”
Busaidi told the Atlantic Council event.
The
2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) deal limited Iran’s uranium
enrichment activity to make it harder for Tehran to develop nuclear arms, if it
so chose, in return for the easing of US and other sanctions.
Trump
exited the deal, calling it too lenient on Iran, and reimposed sanctions that
have crippled the Iranian economy.
New
US President Joe Biden has said Washington will rejoin the JCPOA if Iran stops
breaching limits on enrichment and returns to full compliance with the deal.
Busaidi,
who was appointed in August after Oman’s new Sultan Haitham delegated this
position away from his own portfolio, reiterated Oman’s longstanding policy of
neutrality in a turbulent region.
“Omani
foreign policy has always sought to maintain and encourage dialogue between as
wide a number of parties as possible,” he said.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2021/02/11/Israel-relations-Oman-content-with-current-Israel-relationship-in-terms-of-dialogue-Foreign-minister
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Arab
Coalition intercepts Houthi ballistic missile, 2 drones targeting Saudi Arabia
11
February ,2021
Ismaeel
Naar
The
Arab Coalition said it has intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile fired
by the Iran-backed Houthi militia targeting Khamis Mushait in Saudi Arabia.
Hours later, the coalition said it had intercepted a second attack of an
explosives-laden drone launched by the Houthis.
“The
Houthis are deliberately targeting civilians and we will firmly hold to account
the planners and perpetrators of terrorist attacks in accordance with
international law,” the Arab Coalition says after a missile targets Khamis
Mushait.
Early
on Friday, another bomb-laden drone was launched by the Houthi militia to
target civilians and civilian objects in the southern region.
“The
Houthis are deliberately targeting civilians and we will firmly hold to account
the planners and perpetrators of terrorist attacks in accordance with
international law,” the Arab Coalition says after intercepting the missile
target targeting Khamis Mushait.
The
latest attack on Thursday comes a day after the Houthis targeted Abha
International Airport with a drone. A plane that was on the ground at the time
caught on fire.
The
Houthis later claimed the attack.
Yemen’s
Houthi movement regularly launches drones and missiles into Saudi Arabia, many
of which Riyadh says it intercepts. Some have previously hit Abha International
Airport which is about 120 kilometers from the border with Yemen.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2021/02/11/Arab-Coalition-intercepts-destroys-Houthi-ballistic-missile-targeting-Khamis-Mushait
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Yemeni
forces launch retaliatory missile attack on airbase in southwestern Saudi
Arabia
12
February 2021
The
spokesman for Yemeni Armed Forces says army troops and allied fighters from
Popular Committees have launched a missile attack on an airbase in Saudi
Arabia's southwestern region of Asir, in retaliation for a devastating war led
by the kingdom against the impoverished country.
Brigadier
General Yahya Saree said the missile struck with precision the designated
targets in King Khalid Air Base, which lies 884 kilometers south of the Saudi
capital Riyadh, late Thursday.
Saree
said the surface-to-surface ballistic missile used in the operation is of a new
generation, which has not been unveiled yet.
The
senior Yemeni official warned Saudi Arabia that retaliatory attacks will
continue as long as the Riyadh regime continues its military aggression,
all-out siege and relentless raids against the war-ravaged Arab country.
Saudi
reconnaissance drone shot down
Yemeni
army forces also intercepted an unmanned aerial vehicle of the Saudi military
flying over Yemen's central province of Ma’rib.
Brigadier
General Saree said Yemeni air defense forces shot down the CH-4 combat drone
with a surface-to-air missile over the Medghal district early on Friday.
The
CH-4 drone has a 3,500- to 5,000-kilometer range and a 30- to 40-hour
endurance. It is capable of carrying six missiles and a payload of up to 250 to
345 kilograms.
The
unmanned aerial vehicle can fire air-to-ground missile from an altitude of
5,000 meters, staying outside the effective range of most anti-aircraft guns.
Yemeni
forces seize strategic base
Yemeni
further captured a strategic base in Mar'rib from Saudi-sponsored militants
loyal to former pro-Saudi president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.
Lebanon-based
al-Mayadeen television news network reported that Yemeni troops and their
allies took control of the Koufel military base on Thursday.
Military
sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said scores of Hadi loyalists were
killed or wounded.
Heavy
fighting has continued between Yemeni forces and Hadi loyalists in Haylan and
Makhdarah areas of the Sirwah district over the past few days.
Saudi
Arabia launched the war on Yemen in March 2015, with the aim of bringing Hadi
back to power and crushing the popular Ansarullah movement.
According
to the UN, 80 percent of Yemen’s 30 million people need some form of aid or
protection. About 13.5 million Yemenis currently face acute food insecurity, UN
data shows.
The
European Parliament (EP) on Thursday called on EU member states to ban arms
sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
In
a resolution, European lawmakers welcomed a US decision to suspend arms sales
to Saudi Arabia and defer the transfer of F-35 fighter jets to the UAE.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/02/12/645088/Yemeni-forces-launch-retaliatory-missile-attack-on-airbase-in-southwest-Saudi-Arabia
--------
Three
Turkish soldiers killed in northern Iraq
11
February 2021
At
least three Turkish soldiers have been killed during a new offensive against
the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, Turkey’s Defense
Ministry says.
The
ministry said on Thursday that two Turkish soldiers were killed and two others
injured Wednesday in clashes with the terrorists.
Another
soldier was killed on Thursday, said the ministry, without providing casualty
figures for the PKK.
Turkey
on Wednesday launched operation "Claw-Eagle 2" against the PKK
militants holed up in the northern Iraqi region of Dohuk.
The
country launched its first "Claw-Eagle" operation in June.
Last
month, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar visited the Iraqi capital Baghdad
and northern Iraq where he said Turkey intended to eliminate PKK attacks in the
region to ensure border security.
The
Turkish army regularly conducts cross-border operations and air raids on PKK
bases in Iraq’s northern semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.
In
recent years, Turkish ground and air forces have been carrying out vast
operations in northern Iraq, southeast
Turkey and northern Syria. The attacks have triggered protests from Baghdad and
Damascus which consider them a violation of their sovereignty.
The
US has been arming and training Kurdish militants under the banner of helping
them fight Daesh terrorists.
Syria
and several other countries see ulterior motives behind the US support.
Turkey,
a key US ally in the region, has repeatedly questioned Washington’s arming and
training of the Kurds.
The
PKK, listed as a terror group by Turkey and much of the international
community, has for decades used Iraq's mountainous areas as a springboard for
attacks on Turkish troops.
PKK
militants also regularly clash with Turkish forces in the Kurdish-dominated
southeast of Turkey attached to northern Iraq.
The
militant group has been seeking an autonomous Kurdish region since 1984.
More
than 40,000 people have been killed in the decades-long conflict between Turkey
and the Kurdish militant group.
A
shaky ceasefire between the PKK and the Turkish government collapsed in July
2015. Attacks on Turkish security forces have soared ever since.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/02/11/645057/Turkey-Claw-Eagle-2-Iraq-Syria-PKK-US-Daesh-
--------
Roadside
bomb hits US-led coalition convoy south of Iraq’s capital
11
February 2021
A
roadside bomb explosion has hit a convoy of trucks carrying equipment belonging
to the US-led military coalition south of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
The
blast took place Thursday afternoon when the convoy was moving along a highway
in the town of Latifiya, situated 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Baghdad,
the Arabic-language al-Sumaria television network, reported, citing an unnamed
security source.
The
report added that the blast did not cause any casualties.
No
group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, which is the latest in a
series of explosions that have targeted US occupation forces over the past few
months amid growing anti-American sentiments in Iraq.
On
Wednesday, a roadside bomb exploded in the al-Youssoufia neighborhood of
southern Baghdad, targeting a US-led coalition's logistics convoy. The blast
damaged a vehicle, but left no injuries.
An
explosion occurred two days earlier in the southern city of al-Diwaniyah when a
roadside bomb went off near a vehicle belonging to the US-led military
coalition. The attack apparently did not cause any casualties.
Anti-US
sentiments have been running high in Iraq since the assassination of top
Iranian anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, the
commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, and his
Iraqi trenchmate Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy head of the Popular
Mobilization Units, along with their companions in a US assassination drone
airstrike authorized by former US president Donald Trump near Baghdad
International Airport on January 3 last year.
Iraqi
lawmakers approved a bill two days later, demanding the withdrawal of all
foreign military forces led by the United States from the country.
Currently,
there are approximately 2,500 American troops in Iraq.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/02/11/645056/Roadside-bomb-hits-US-led-coalition-convoy-south-of-Iraq%E2%80%99s-Baghdad
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Local
Officials Say Iraq's Kakais, Fearing IS, Are Fleeing Their Villages
February
10, 2021
RIZGARI,
IRAQ - What stood out about a seminar recently held in this northern Iraqi
village was that it was largely attended by men wearing noticeably large
mustaches.
The
facial hair is a feature distinguishing pious followers of the Kakai, a small
religious group that has in recent years become a top target for the Islamic
State (IS) terror group in Iraq.
The
seminar, titled “Kakais in the time of Corona,” was meant to shed light on the
culture and history of the group, as well as the challenges they face in the
predominantly Muslim nation.
Followers
of the religion say their unique mustache style, which they keep for both
traditional and religious reasons, has in recent years meant certain death for
their fellow men as IS used it to identify them.
The
group, which believes in reincarnation, is estimated to have as many as 75,000
followers in Iraq.
“Al-Qaida
and Islamic State terror have taken the lives of 450 members of our people
since they came to the area,” Kwekha Aziz, a Kakai community leader, told VOA.
“You
can see all our martyrs buried in the graveyard over there. … They hate our
religion. They hate it that we don’t fast or we don’t pray like them," he
added.
Most
Kakais live in more than a dozen villages dotting oil-rich Kirkuk province, a
part of the northern “disputed territories” where experts say the Iraqi
government is struggling to contain a rising IS threat. That area is contested
between Baghdad and the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in the
north.
Last
year, a suspected IS attack left at least seven Kakai men dead near Iraq’s
northern border with Iran.
Kurdish
officials say increased IS attacks and activities in the region have in recent
days caused many Kakais to abandon their villages.
“People
in the area are panicking and many people in the predominantly Kakai villages
have vacated their homes fearing [IS] attacks,” Hiwar Rashid, a local Kurdish
official in Kirkuk, said Tuesday in an interview with Iraqi Kurdish news site
Bas News.
Last
week, Sarbast Lazgin, deputy minister of the KRG’s peshmerga forces in northern
Iraq, told VOA the jihadists were already exploiting a “security vacuum” in the
disputed territories, and he called for stronger cooperation between federal
and regional security forces.
In
2015, the KRG created a military unit whose members were all Kakai followers to
protect their own areas from IS. Local media reports say the unit has been
severely weakened by partisan infighting between the dominant Kurdish parties.
Kakais
also complain of lack of political representation in Iraq.
“We
don’t have the size to be able to win parliamentary seats, and other political
parties have not attempted to provide a quota for us, like they have done for
other groups,” activist Ziyad Kakai said.
While
it might be easier for IS to recognize Kakai men, the religion’s female
followers say they face their own unique challenges that go beyond terror
threats in the conservative society they live in.
“Kakai
women have many grievances,” Samira Kakai, a women's rights activist, told VOA.
“They
are not allowed [by their families] to go outside on their own. They are allowed
to take pictures of themselves but cannot post them [online]. They are allowed
to sing only in private,” she added.
Kakais
are also known as Yarsanis. Most of them identify as being ethnically Kurdish
and speak both the Sorani and Gorani dialects of the Kurdish language.
https://www.voanews.com/extremism-watch/local-officials-say-iraqs-kakais-fearing-are-fleeing-their-villages?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1992299_
--------
Mideast
Israeli
settler runs over, kills Palestinian man, injuries two others in occupied West
Bank
12
February 2021
A
Palestinian man has lost his life and two others sustained injuries after an
Israeli settler ran over them in the northeastern part of the occupied West
Bank.
Mu'taz
Besharat, an officer in charge of monitoring settlement activities in Tubas
district, said a group of Palestinians were hiking on a trail between the
villages of Ein al-Beida and Bardala on Friday morning, when the Jewish
extremist rammed his car into them, the official Palestinian Wafa news agency
reported.
The
report identified the victim as 52-year-old Bilal Bawatneh from the city of
al-Bireh, located 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) north of Jerusalem al-Quds, adding
that the injured Palestinians were residents of al-Bireh and Israeli-occupied
Jerusalem al-Quds.
Palestinian
witnesses said they were shocked to see the speeding vehicle veering off its
course, and hitting the three hikers.
The
Palestine Red Crescent Society said its medics arrived at the scene and
received Bawatneh’s body. Israeli medics have reportedly evacuated the injured
Palestinians to a hospital in the city of Afula.
There
have been scores of similar incidents, in which Palestinians have been targeted
in different parts of the West Bank. Most of the cases go uninvestigated by
Israeli authorities. Some of such events have resulted in fatalities.
On
December 14 last year, an Israeli settler ran over a Palestinian woman and her
child as they were crossing the main road in Huwara town of the northern West
Bank.
Witnesses
said Israeli forces showed up and escorted the settler away from the scene.
The
injured mother and child were rushed to a nearby hospital.
Palestinian
Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh denounced on January 21 the rise in Israeli
settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank, and described them as
organized terrorism.
He
called on the administration of new US President Joe Biden to put an end to the
crimes, saying the policies of former president Donald Trump have led to an
upsurge in the Tel Aviv regime’s illegal settlements construction and expansion
activities as well as settler attacks against Palestinians and their property.
More
than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli
occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem
al-Quds. All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law.
According
to human rights groups, acts of violence by Israeli settlers against
Palestinians and their property are a daily occurrence throughout the occupied
West Bank.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/02/12/645104/Israeli-settler-runs-over,-kills-middle-aged-Palestinian-man-in-occupied-West-Bank
--------
Hamas
Lauds Iranian Leader for Unchanged Position on Palestine
2021-February-11
In
his message on Wednesday, Haniyeh said Hamas along with the Palestinian people
share the joy of Iranians on the auspicious occasion of the anniversary of the
victory of the Islamic Revolution.
He
expressed the Palestinian nation’s deep appreciation to Ayatollah Khamenei for
his “honorable and unchanging” position on standing by the Palestinians and
backing their just cause and courageous resistance in defending their
legitimate rights.
He
added that Hamas was looking forward to Iran and the Leader’s continued support
for the Palestinian people and their just cause so that will continue to put up
resistance and defend their legitimate rights.
Back
in July 2020, Ayatollah Khamenei in a letter to Haniyeh had assured Palestinian
resistance fighters that as ever, Iran always has their back and will not
forsake its duty of confronting the occupying Israeli regime’s evil nature.
“The Islamic Republic, as before, does not
stint on any effort to support the oppressed Palestinian people, redress their
rights, and also fight off the bogus and usurping Zionist regime’s evil,” the
Leader said.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991123000289/Hamas-Lads-Iranian-Leader-fr-Unchanged-Psiin-n-Palesine
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Houthi
leaders will be removed from list of US-designated terrorists: Sources
Joseph
Haboush
11
February ,2021
The
US State Department intends to remove both the Houthi militia and three of its
senior leaders from a terrorism list, according to a document obtained by Al
Arabiya English on Thursday.
Houthi
leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, Abd al-Khaliq Badr al-Din al-Houthi, and Abdullah
Yahya al Hakim will have their designations as Specially Designated Global
Terrorists (SDGT) revoked, according to the announcement attributed to
Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“I
hereby revoke the designations of the following persons as Specially Designated
Global Terrorist, pursuant to section 1(a)(ii) of Executive Order 13224:
Ansarallah, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, Abd al-Khaliq Badr al-Din al-Houthi,
Abdullah Yahya al Hakim, and their respective aliases. This determination shall
be published in the Federal Register,” the document said.
Sources
familiar with the move told Al Arabiya English that Blinken would make an
announcement soon.
Last
week, Blinken notified members of Congress of his intent to remove the
Iran-backed Houthis from the US list of terrorist organizations.
But
no mention was made concerning the Houthi leadership at the time.
According
to sources, leaders of a group can not be designated without the entire group
being designated.
But
sanctions from the Treasury Department on Abdul-Malik al-Houthi will remain in
effect, the sources said.
The
Treasury Department sanctioned the Houthi leader in 2015 for “being a political
or military leader of a group that has engaged in acts that directly or
indirectly threaten the peace, security, or stability of Yemen and for engaging
in such acts, respectively.”
Earlier
Thursday, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said the revocation of the
Houthis had still not gone through, and it was still under Congressional
review. Asked about the document on the US Federal Register titled,
“Designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization; Revocation: Ansarallah (and
Other Aliases),” Price said there had been an “administrative error.”
An
editorial note was placed on the Federal Register website stating, “An agency
letter requesting withdraw of this document was received after placement on
public inspection.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2021/02/12/US-intends-to-remove-senior-Houthi-leaders-from-terrorism-list-Document
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Turkey
arrests Iranian diplomat over killing of dissident in Istanbul: Daily Sabah
Yaghoub
Fazeli
February
12, 2021
Turkish
authorities have arrested a staff member of the Iranian consulate in Istanbul
for his role in the killing of an Iranian dissident in 2019 in the city, a
Turkish daily reported on Thursday.
Mohammad
Reza Naserzadeh, 43, was arrested earlier this week, the Daily Sabah reported.
He is accused of forging travel documents for Ali Esfanjani – the alleged
mastermind of the killing of Masoud Molavi Vardanjani – to smuggle him to Iran.
Naserzadeh
claimed in his testimony that he was not in Turkey at the time of the killing
and was not acquainted with Esfanjani or other suspects in the case, according
to the report.
Vardanjani
was shot dead in November 2019 in Istanbul.
Last
year, Turkish officials concluded that the Iranian consulate in Istanbul was
behind the killing.
A
Turkish police report into the killing published in March 2020 said Vardanjani
had worked in cyber security at Iran’s defense ministry and later became a
vocal critic of the Iranian regime.
A
Twitter account attributed to Vardanjani included posts criticizing Iran’s
Revolutionary Guards months before he was killed.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2021/02/11/Turkey-arrests-Iranian-diplomat-over-killing-of-dissident-in-Istanbul-Daily-Sabah
--------
South
Asia
Petition
urges UN to prevent Myanmar coup from worsening Rohingyas plight
11
February 2021
A
prominent London-based Islamic human rights group has launched a petition
urging the United Nations to prevent the plight of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims,
already the world’s most persecuted minority, from worsening as a result of a
fledgling coup in the Southeast Asian country.
The
Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) published the petition addressed to UN
High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet Jeria, on its website on
Thursday.
It
highlighted the Muslim community’s decades-long bloody persecution at the hands
of Myanmar’s forces and Buddhist extremists, warning about escalation of their
plight now that the military has ousted de facto ruler Aung San Suu Kyi in a
February 1 coup.
“It
is estimated that more than 20,000 people were killed, with thousands of
Rohingya internally displaced, accompanied by rapes, looting, torture, and
beatings,” the body said.
It
was referring to the high point of the persecution, namely a brutal crackdown
by Myanmar's army and Buddhist mobs against Rohingyas in the country’s Rakhine
State many years ago. The campaign that the UN has termed as “genocide” also
displaced hundreds of thousands of the Muslims.
Suu
Kyi, a hugely Western-supported and promoted political figure, did not
intervene at all to prevent the ethnic cleansing. During a hearing at the
International Court of Justice in 2019, she even defended the military against
the reports of bloodshed and suppression.
Underlining
the dire situation that faced the Muslims in their homeland, the IHRC said that
Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh were “refusing early repatriation due to fear
for their lives.” Bangladesh had, meanwhile, “forcefully moved around 1,600
Rohingyas” to the Bhasan Char island in the Bay of Bengal, the organization
added.
“The
Bhasan Char Island is 36 miles (57 kilometers) from the mainland and known to
be a low-lying island; vulnerable to cyclones and flooding. Therefore, it is
not suitable for hosting vulnerable Rohingya refugees,” the body wrote.
“The
United Nations should take necessary measures to alleviate the Rohingya
refugees’ sufferings due to the coup and be vigilant about the future
deterioration of the Rohingya refugees’ situation,” it concluded.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/02/11/645080/Myanmar-coup-Rohingya-petition-United-Nations-IHRC
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Biden
facing 'serious dilemmas' on Afghan troop withdrawal: US official
Feb
12, 2021
KABUL:
US President Joe Biden faces "serious dilemmas" in Afghanistan as a
deadline to withdraw troops nears and the Taliban show no sign of ending their
bloodshed, a top US official warned.
The
new US leader has ordered a review of the deal Washington cut with the Taliban
last year, which promised the withdrawal of all foreign forces by May 1 in
return for security guarantees from the militants and a commitment to peace
talks with the Afghan government.
The
talks are progressing painfully slowly, but scarcely a day goes by without a
bomb blast, attack on government forces, or a targeted assassination somewhere
in the country.
"Violence
level remains very, very high... which is shocking and deeply
disappointing," a senior US State Department official told AFP this week
on condition of anonymity.
"It
is unquestionably damaging the atmosphere for any kind of a settlement of
Afghanistan's conflict."
The
Taliban routinely deny responsibility for the attacks -- and many are claimed
by the rival jihadist group Islamic State -- but Washington has no doubt who is
to blame.
"In
our view, the Taliban are responsible for the vast majority of the targeted
killings that we have seen," the official said, adding they had created
"an ecosystem of violence".
"It
is clearly intended, I think, to demoralise citizens... to add to doubts that
people have about their government and to add to the aura of inevitability of
(a Taliban) victory," he added.
The
new Biden administration, he said -- which was committed to upholding the deal
despite the review -- now faced "serious dilemmas".
If
Washington decided to keep troops on after the deadline, US forces faced coming
under attack once again -- following a year without a single American death in
combat.
But
if the US pulls out as scheduled, it leaves the fragile Afghan government at
the mercy of a determined insurgent force that could result in fresh carnage
that would be impossible for the world to ignore.
The
Pentagon has over the past year reduced the number of US troops in Afghanistan
to 2,500, while NATO defence ministers will later this month discuss the fate
of their 10,000 personnel in the country -- most in backroom support roles.
Any
risk to the lives of "American and coalition forces... is going to be
very, very high on our priorities", the US official warned.
Afghan
President Ashraf Ghani has urged Biden to avoid rushing the withdrawal, and
wants the new US President to put more pressure on the Taliban to make
concessions at ongoing peace talks in Doha, Qatar.
"The
Islamic Republic (government) side is anxious and ready to negotiate. They went
to Doha prepared... and they got nobody to meet with and that's
disappointing," the US official said.
The
Taliban were winning few friends with its approach, he added.
"What
they miscalculate is that it grotesquely misshapes the battlefield in terms of
world opinion and in terms of the support that this country has."
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/biden-facing-serious-dilemmas-on-afghan-troop-withdrawal-us-official/articleshow/80877696.cms
--------
Malaysia
to hand 1,200 Myanmar detainees to country's navy
11
Feb 2021
Malaysia
will deport 1,200 detained Myanmar nationals after the Myanmar military
government, which took over in a Feb. 1 coup, offered to send three navy ships
to pick them up, officials from both countries and two sources told Reuters.
Myanmar,
via its embassy in Kuala Lumpur, made the offer to take back its citizens held
in Malaysian immigration detention centres last week, according to two sources
familiar with the matter.
The
detention centres typically hold asylum-seekers and refugees, along with others
who are in Malaysia without proper documents. Malaysia does not formally
recognise refugees, regarding them as illegal migrants.
The
officials did not respond to queries as to whether those being repatriated
included refugees.
Detainees
have in the past included members of the Chin, Kachin and the Muslim Rohingya
communities fleeing ethnic conflict and persecution by the military in Myanmar.
Malaysia
is home to more than 154,000 asylum-seekers from Myanmar, according to the UN
refugee agency UNHCR. There are also thousands of migrant workers.
The
sources said Myanmar had offered to take back only its citizens. Myanmar
recognises over 100 ethnic groups but not the Rohingya, who are seen as illegal
migrants from Bangladesh.
The
sources, who requested anonymity, said the navy ships were expected to arrive
in Malaysia on Feb. 21 and leave two days later.
Malaysia's
Director-General of Immigration Khairul Dzaimee Daud confirmed the details,
adding that authorities had agreed to hand over the detainees to Myanmar's
navy.
"Yes
we have agreed. All of them are from immigration depots," he said in a
text message, without elaborating.
Win
Min Soe, a labour attache at the Myanmar embassy, also confirmed Myanmar's
offer.
Spokesmen
for the Malaysian prime minister's office and foreign ministry did not respond
to requests for comment.
James
Bawi Thang Bik, of the Kuala Lumpur-based Alliance of Chin Refugees, said that
while Malaysia has regularly deported Myanmar nationals, this was the first
time Myanmar's navy had offered to help repatriate its citizens.
He
called on Malaysian authorities to work with the UNHCR to determine whether
those to be deported included undocumented refugees.
"Refugees
are in danger of being sentenced to jail and persecuted if they are sent back
to Myanmar," he said.
The
coup and the detention of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi along with scores of
others have prompted the biggest demonstrations in Myanmar since a 2007
"Saffron Revolution" that ultimately became a step towards democratic
reforms.
In
2017, Myanmar's army drove more than 730,000 Rohingya Muslims to neighbouring
Bangladesh in an operation that the United Nations has said was carried out
with “genocidal intent”.
Myanmar
denies the accusation.
https://bdnews24.com/world/2021/02/11/malaysia-to-hand-1200-myanmar-detainees-to-country-s-navy
--------
‘UN
convoy’ ambushed on Kabul-Jalalabad highway
11
Feb 2021
Five
members of the Afghan Directorate of Protection Service were killed when they
were escorting a UN envoy on the Kabul-Jalalabad highway.
“The
UN family in Afghanistan mourns the loss of five Afghan Directorate of
Protection Service personnel in an incident today in Surobi District of Kabul.
No UN personnel were hurt or vehicle affected in an attack which hit a DPS
vehicle that was escorting a UN convoy,” the United Nations Assistance Mission
in Afghanistan tweeted.
According
to reports, the incident happened at around 10 a.m on Thursday security
officials told the media.
Ramiz
Alakbarov, UN Secretary General’s Deputy Special Representative for
Afghanistan, also tweeted his condolences “My thoughts and prayers are with
families of officers who died offering protection (to) our staff, as they do on
so many days. The UN has expressed its deepest condolences to Govt of
Afghanistan … Violence in Afghanistan must end,”.
In
another incident in Nangarhar province, two Afghan security members were
injured when a roadside bomb targeted a National Directorate of Security
convoy.
This
comes as First vice president Amrulah Saleh said Thursday that all the freed
prisoners as part of the US-Taliban peace deal are playing a major role in the
rising insecurity across Afghanistan.
Saleh
expressed his confidence in proving the case-by-case involvement of the released
prisoners in the current violence.
The
first vice president previously had claimed that the majority of the released
Taliban prisoners have returned back to the battlefields.
According
to Saleh behind the recent spate of Targeted attacks on workers of Ministries
of Foreign affairs, rural rehabilitation, and agriculture are the spared
Taliban prisoners, and that the Afghan government will no longer release more
Taliban members from the jails in good faith.
Saleh
posted at his Facebook that “ We are ready to prove case by case that the 5500
Taliban prisoners release for the sake of peace, are involved in the escalation
of violence and murders of the people, this was a blindfolded trust, and we
will not repeat it again”
https://www.khaama.com/un-convoy-ambushed-on-kabul-jalalabad-highway-334433/
--------
String
of IED blasts claim 2 civilians in Nangarhar
11
Feb 2021
Reports
indicated, Two civilians were killed and five others were injured in Two
separate explosions in Nangarhar on Thursday.
In
the first incident, a vehicle was targeted by an IED in the Kama district of
the province in which one civilian was killed and one individual ware wounded.
Another
incident happened in Behsud district when a vehicle carrying passengers hit a
Roadside bomb, killing 1 person and wounding four others.
No
group including the Taliban has claimed responsibility for the incidents.
This
comes as Amrullah Saleh, the first vice president says that we might ask taxi
drivers in Kabul to do a physical inspection of their passengers.
He
also called on Jamshid Tutakhel, the new Kabul police chief, not to waste his
time on celebrating his post over gifts and congratulation ceremonies.
Referring
to the explosion of a magnetic mine on a taxi in the Forosh-Gah area of Kabul,
he said that the driver of the taxi was alive.
Reports
indicate two of his passengers planted the mine into the vehicle.
He
added, “We may now have to ask taxi drivers to physically inspect their
passengers”, or to carefully inspect their vehicle when the ride is down, to
prevent such cruel acts from happening again.
https://www.khaama.com/string-of-ied-blasts-claim-2-civilians-in-nangarhar-334433/
--------
Southeast
Asia
Yearning
for ‘golden’ Malaysia of the 60s and 70s
A.
Kathirasen
February
12, 2021
With
the country ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic, the economy sliding into
recession and the nation swept about in political uncertainty, many Malaysians
are worried. Many are also very concerned about the direction the nation has
been taking in recent times.
Some
old-timers tell me they cannot recognise the Malaysia they spent their youth
in. Racial and religious divisions, they say, are worsening, with opportunistic
politicians and others fuelling the fire.
Today,
we have leaders who cannot hold a candle to Tunku Abdul Rahman and our founding
fathers. The nation is drowning in a flood largely caused by some powerful
politicians and religious bigots.
Many
yearn for the old days when racial and religious differences did exist but were
never a problem; a time when people saw each other as humans and Malaysian
citizens instead of as Malays and non-Malays, as Muslims and non-Muslims, as
Christians, Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs.
That
is one reason, I believe, an article I wrote for the Lifestyle section of FMT
was read and commented upon copiously. When I wrote about Mohamed Jamil Ahmad,
an unassuming associate professor (industrial) at Universiti Malaya and his
broad-mindedness and embrace-all-races philosophy, I didn’t expect it would
receive such an enthusiastic reception.
The
article received 18,000 shares and was read by thousands more, many of whom
praised Jamil’s sense of Malaysianess and respect for all races. Three readers
even proposed Jamil for prime minister. Behind their words I could sense a
yearning for a return to the “good old days” when no one went through your
every utterance or action with a racial or religious comb and lodged police
reports against you or demonised you.
As
Malaysians of Chinese descent celebrate Chinese New Year, and as other Malaysians
share in the joy, I thought it might be an appropriate time to talk about this
yearning and nostalgia for racial and religious understanding, for a happy
Malaysia.
Many
Malaysians above 60 will recall the 60s and 70s as a time when Malaysians
considered each other as Malaysians and not as Malays, Chinese, Indians and
others; when citizens were proud to be Malaysians first.
I
don’t wish to give the idea that everything was hunky dory, for it was not; but
interracial relations were certainly much, much better than they are today.
Jamil
knows this, of course. He was my classmate at King Edward VII School (KE VII)
in Taiping. I was in KE VII from Standard One but Jamil joined in Standard Two
and we were classmates till Form Six. KE VII was a huge influence on us.
Unlike
today, KE VII Secondary School then had a good mix of students of various
races. Every sports team, every school society had a healthy mix. The teachers
too were of various races and they never showed any racial or religious bias;
they did not wear their religion on their sleeves.
We
had exemplary models to emulate in our teachers, especially our principal the
irreplaceable Mr Long Heng Hua who would organise or encourage us to mix well.
The school would organise gotong-royong events and other activities, including
during Merdeka Day celebrations, when there would be a concerted move to make
everyone understand that although Malaysians were of diverse origins, they were
a united whole.
I
still have a photograph that was taken during Merdeka Day celebrations in 1970
when we were in Form Five. Each class was to organise activities for that day
and Mr Long and the school’s board of governors would visit to assess the work.
Our class, Five A1, decided, among other activities, to have three students dress
up in the traditional attire of the three main races.
And
so it came to pass that Jamil sat in class dressed in the baju Melayu and
songkok, I was in the vesti and jippa while Lim Yu Chai was in traditional
Chinese attire.
Today,
if an Indian were to call out to a Malay “Oi Melayu” or if he were to call a
Hindu chap “Oi Hindu”, it could lead to a heated argument, even police reports
and clashes. In those days, I could tell my classmate Aziz Salleh, “Eh Melayu
balik kampung lah” and he could tell me, “Oi you balik India dulu lah” and
neither of us would get angry.
In
Form Five, Aziz taught me some Jawi words, including kap alif ta ya, which
spells out the first half of my name. I remember a few to this day.
Today,
Muslim students go for Islamic lessons and non-Muslim students go for Moral
Studies – that itself separates them; that itself builds a sense of “we are
different from them” in the young minds. Policymakers during my schooldays were
smart: they made all of us attend the same classes so that we would not feel
any difference. Islamic classes were held in the afternoons or just after the
regular school periods were over. Students knew that this was an extra class;
they didn’t feel they were separate.
Aziz
and I were classmates from Standard One to Form Six and we would visit each
other’s house frequently. Whenever there is a Hindu festival, Aziz still sends
me greetings with pictures of Hindu deities because he knows that does not make
him any less a Muslim.
On
the field, we’d all be Edwardians or Tigers (as we were known) – not Malays,
Chinese or Indians.
It
was not just the school environment that nurtured the togetherness; our parents
too were broad-minded and embraced everyone. My parents always encouraged me to
mix with everyone so that I could learn from them too.
Outside
school, I had a mixed bag of friends including Malays, Chinese, Indians, and
one guy who was of Thai descent. We called ourselves Les Gurus, and we still
keep in touch. I picked up a smattering of Hokkien from my many Chinese friends.
In
those days, nobody would raise an eyebrow if a non-Muslim entered a mosque or a
Muslim entered a temple. Today, all hell may break loose.
I
have been to all the major houses of worship. When I was ill on one occasion,
my father took me to the mosque where a pious-looking man chanted some verses
from the Quran in a glass of water and gave it to me to drink. My father was a
real Malaysian for he took me to see a Chinese medium on a couple of occasions,
too.
I
visited mosques in my youth and later in the course of my work.
In
my teens, I went carolling with my friend Raymond Edwards and once acted as one
of the three wise men in a play on the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas Eve.
I have sat in silence at Buddhist temples and I have prayed to Chinese gods at
Chinese temples. I have joined my schoolmates Ranjit Singh and Tanvanth Singh
to serve chapatti in the Gurdwara and I have bowed before the Guru Granth
Sahib.
I
believe most people of my generation were and are like that too. That is why
there is a yearning for the “good old days”, the days of Tunku Abdul Rahman,
our first prime minister.
We
all want a nation where we can live in peace and harmony. A nation we can be
proud of. I hope our political leaders are aware of this and will act more
responsibly.
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/highlight/2021/02/12/yearning-for-golden-malaysia-of-the-60s-and-70s/
--------
Report:
Former air steward files complaint to prosecute two for insulting the Hindu
faith
11
Feb 2021
BY
ASHMAN ADAM
KUALA
LUMPUR, Feb 11 — A former air steward has filed a complaint with a magistrate
here to initiate a private prosecution against two Muslim converts for
allegedly insulting non-Islamic faiths and their religious practices.
Free
Malaysia Today (FMT) reported that S. Shashi Kumar will appear before Mohamad
Redza Azhar Rezali for an inquiry on March 12 at 2.30pm.
He
initiated the action against Firdaus Wong Wai Hung, who is the president and
founder of the Multiracial Reverted Muslims (MRM), and Zamri Vinoth Kalimuthu,
both said to be associated with controversial preacher Dr Zakir Naik.
Shashi’s
lawyer T. Gunaseelan said his client made the complaint under Section 133 of
the Criminal Procedure Code.
“Redza
will serve a notice to the deputy public prosecutor informing him that a
complaint has been received,” Gunaseelan was quoted saying.
According
to the FMT report, Firdaus is to have insulted the Hindu faith on his Youtube
and Facebook pages — to which Shashi made a police report in January 2018 after
having seen the contents on both the social media platforms.
“The
contents have given rise to hatred and insults toward non-Muslims in Malaysia,
and are likely to cause breach of peace,” he said, adding that many others had
also made similar reports.
Shashi
also lodged a police report against Zamri in June 2020 for allegedly insulting
the rituals and practices of Hinduism on his Facebook account which had gone
viral.
“His
posting is likely to cause hatred and upset the religious harmony among the
people of different faiths,” he was quoted as saying.
Lawyer
Gunaseelan added that should the magistrate find basis for the reports lodged,
charges could be brought under the Sedition Act, the Penal Code and the
Communications and Multimedia Act.
“In
the past, magistrates have allowed individuals to conduct prosecution for
certain offences,” noted Gunaseelan.
He
added his client would leave it to the prosecution to act on the police reports
if the Deputy Public Prosecutor was willing to take it up. Otherwise, Shashi will
ask the magistrate to give him the authority to prosecute the duo.
Both
Firdaus — who is the president and founder of the Multiracial Reverted Muslims
(MRM) — and Zamri are said to be associated with controversial preacher Dr
Zakir — who has been accused of denigrating other faiths and being a threat to
Malaysia’s multi-ethnic and multicultural harmony.
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/02/11/report-former-air-steward-files-complaint-to-prosecute-two-for-insulting-th/1949008
--------
Former
BN party Gerakan joins Malaysia's ruling Perikatan Nasional coalition
February
12, 2021
PUTRAJAYA
(THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Malaysia's ruling Perikatan Nasional (PN)
coalition has welcomed Gerakan as its newest member and believes the move will
strengthen the alliance.
Gerakan
was formerly in Barisan Nasional (BN) but exited the coalition in June 2018
after the pact was ousted from power following a stunning loss in Malaysia's
general election that year.
Prime
Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also PN chairman, said Gerakan's admission
received unanimous endorsement from the coalition's supreme council.
"I
believe this move will strengthen Perikatan as a coalition of parties that
represents all races and regions in Malaysia.
"Perikatan
will remain committed towards building Malaysia into a peaceful, developed,
prosperous and stable nation," he said in a Facebook post.
Gerakan
joins Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS),
Sabah STAR and the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) as members of the coalition.
Tan
Sri Muhyiddin had a ceremony on Thursday (Feb 11) with Gerakan president
Dominic Lau to formally accept the party as a member of Perikatan.
In
the 14th General Election in 2018, Gerakan lost all the 11 parliamentary and 31
state seats it contested.
As
Pakatan Harapan (PH) took over the Federal Government after the watershed
election, Gerakan decided to quit BN in June 2018 to become an opposition
party.
The
PH government however collapsed in February 2020, which led to the formation of
the PN government.
In
a separate statement, Datuk Lau said Gerakan would become the voice of
moderation and multiracialism in PN.
"I
am confident that this coalition will prioritise unity and understanding. As a
mulitracial party, Gerakan promises to be the voice of moderation and pluralism
within Perikatan.
"Gerakan
is always prepared to represent the ordinary folk regardless of their racial,
linguistic, ethnic or regional backgrounds for the sake of the Malaysian
agenda," he said.
Among
Gerakan's main tasks as a new member of PN, said Mr Lau, was to work with the
government to tackle Covid-19 issues including preparing a post-pandemic
recovery plan.
"In
my discussions with Bersatu and PAS leaders, it is clear that their political
agenda is based on the welfare of the people.
"This
is clear through the economic stimulus package plans announced by the Prime
Minister.
"Billions
of ringgit were handed out as assistance to help the people face the Covid-19
pandemic," he added.
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/former-bn-party-gerakan-is-now-part-of-perikatan-nasional
--------
Africa
US
president extends national emergency for Libya
Servet
Günerigök
12.02.2021
US
President Joe Biden on Thursday extended the national emergency with respect to
Libya by one year, according to the White House.
The
first emergency was declared on Feb. 25, 2011 during the era of Muammar
Gaddafi, whose government was accused of using violence against civilians and
misappropriating Libyan state assets.
"The
situation in Libya continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the
national security and foreign policy of the United States, and measures are
needed to protect against the diversion of assets or other abuses by members of
Qadhafi's family, their associates, and other persons hindering Libyan national
reconciliation," said Biden in an executive order, using another spelling
for the late Libyan leader.
Biden
also notified House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Senate
leadership in a letter, saying he has determined it is necessary to continue
the national emergency.
Libya
has been torn by civil war since the ouster of Gaddafi in 2011.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/us-president-extends-national-emergency-for-libya/2142239
--------
Libya:
New Presidency Council head visits Benghazi
Walid
Abdullah
11.02.2021
TRIPOLI
Newly
elected head of the Libyan Presidency Council Mohammad Menfi on Thursday
visited Benghazi, a city under the control of warlord Khalifa Haftar, a
diplomatic source said.
Menfi
arrived in the city on his way back from Greece, the source said on condition
of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
"In
the name of God, we begin the journey of work for the sake of the nation, its
unity, and its territorial integrity and the reunification of our people
throughout Libya. We are today guests of our city, Benghazi," Menfi said
in an earlier statement on Thursday.
"Our
goal is the unity of the country, true reconciliation and cooperation with
everyone to alleviate the suffering of the citizens [...] We call on everyone
to assume their responsibilities and rise to the level of challenges," he
went on to say.
Later,
Menfi held a meeting with Haftar, according to a written statement by Haftar's
press office.
During
the meeting, Haftar expressed support for the new Presidency Council and the
National Unity Government, which create an environment of political dialogue
for the unification of political institutions in the country and for the
elections.
Meanwhile,
Chairman of Libya’s High Council of State Khalid al-Mishri rejected and
condemned Menfi's visit to “war criminal” Haftar.
“This
visit sends a negative message that has nothing to do with ensuring the harmony
and unity of Libyans after all the destruction and tragedies caused by Haftar,”
al-Mishri said on social media.
Last
Friday, Libya’s rival political groups agreed to form an interim unity
government to lead the country to elections this December.
Mohammad
Younes Menfi was elected head of the Presidency Council, with Al-Koni and
Al-Lafi as the members, while Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh was chosen as the prime
minister.
Menfi's
visit to Benghazi is the first after his election as the head of the Presidency
Council.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/libya-new-presidency-council-head-visits-benghazi/2141742
--------
Ethiopia
killed 83 civilians in Tigray: Rights group
Andrew
Wasike
11.02.2021
NAIROBI,
Kenya
Last
November the Ethiopian army shelled hospitals, schools and homes in the
northern Tigray region, killing 83 civilians, including children, according to
a new Human Rights Watch (HRW) report.
The
report released in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Thursday said Ethiopian forces
carried out indiscriminate shelling in urban areas in the Tigray in violation
of the laws of war
Laetitia
Bader, Horn of Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said Ethiopian federal
forces fired artillery into urban areas indiscriminately, causing civilian
casualties and property damage.
She
added: “These attacks have shattered civilian lives in Tigray and displaced
thousands of people, underscoring the urgency for ending unlawful attacks and
holding those responsible to account.”
According
to the group, more than 200,000 people have been displaced in the Tigray
region, with most of them fleeing to neighboring Sudan.
She
called on the Ethiopian government to allow UN investigators into Tigray to
document the conduct of warring parties in a conflict that has devastated the
lives of millions of people.
On
Nov. 3, TPLF forces attacked the Ethiopian National Defense Forces, killing
soldiers while they were sleeping and looting military hardware, prompting the
Ethiopian government to launch a sweeping law-enforcement operation.
On
Nov. 28, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed declared the operation complete, saying what
remained was apprehending the TPLF leadership and their militants,
reconstruction and rehabilitation in the restive region, and putting in place
the structures of an interim administration for Tigray.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/ethiopia-killed-83-civilians-in-tigray-rights-group/2141656
--------
Insecurity
threatens Somalia humanitarian work: UN
Mohammed
Dhaysane
11.02.2021
MOGADISHU,
Somalia
Growing
insecurity in Somalia poses grave threats to humanitarian operations in the
country, a UN body said on Thursday.
There
were 255 incidents against humanitarian agencies recorded in 2020, a rise of
59%, in which 15 aid workers were killed, the UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) Somalia said on Twitter.
“Insecurity
remains a major challenge to humanitarian operations in Somalia,” the global
body said.
However,
it stressed that all of its partners “delivered assistance to all regions”
despite the prevalent risks.
According
to the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia, at least 12 humanitarian workers in
Somalia were injured, 24 abducted, and 14 detained or temporarily arrested over
the course of 2020.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/insecurity-threatens-somalia-humanitarian-work-un/2141344
--------
Sudan
declares state of emergency in Sennar state
Adel
Abdelrahim
11.02.2021
Sudan's
Sennar imposed a state of emergency on Thursday, becoming the fifth state to do
so in the past few days due to violent protests.
In
a statement, Governor Al-Mahi Muhammad Suleiman said security forces will be
monitoring "movements and meetings of the remnants” of deposed president
Omar al-Bashir.
Curfews
have been announced in many regions to contain demonstrations amid worsening
economic conditions characterized by inflation and shortage of basic
commodities.
Law
enforcers have been on high alert to protect both private and public
properties, the state-run Sudanese News Agency said.
The
former president is serving a prison sentence after being found guilty of
corruption. He ruled Sudan for three decades and was removed from power by the
military in April 2019 following mass protests.
Sudan’s
economy has suffered due to years of US sanctions, mismanagement, and civil
war.
Earlier
this week, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok announced a new Cabinet following a
peace deal in October aimed at ending decades of war.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/sudan-declares-state-of-emergency-in-sennar-state/2141265
--------
Boko
Haram reportedly abducts three Nigerian customs officers
February
10, 2021
Boko
Haram terrorists on Tuesday reportedly abducted three officers of the Nigeria Customs
Services during an attack on Geidam, a town in Yobe State near the Nigerian
border with Niger Republic.
The
insurgents had attacked the town late Tuesday evening.
Security
sources told PREMIUM TIMES that they took away the officers after driving into
the town through the Geidam -Maine–Sorowa road.
The
officers were stationed at a checkpoint on the road when the insurgents swooped
on them, a source said.
The
source revealed that the officers were posted from the zonal command of the
Customs in Bauchi to Yobe at the border.
“What
happened is very unfortunate because some of our personnel got the information
of the attack and left the area but those three officers we learnt did not get
the information early,” the source told PREMIUM TIMES.
“By
the time they were trying to leave, the insurgents had closed in on them and
took them away,” the source, a Customs officer, told our correspondent but
asked not to be named because he was not authorised to speak to journalists.
The
police spokesperson in the state, Dungus Abdulkarim, confirmed the Tuesday
attack on Geidam.
Mr
Abdulkarim said no casualty was recorded in the attack but the terrorists burnt
an ambulance of the General Hospital, Geidam, and looted a shop.
Asked
about the abduction of the three Customs officers, Mr Abulkarim said “you can
crosscheck the information with the Customs, please. I have no comment on
that.”
He
said police officers informed him that the insurgents were engaged in a gun
battle by Nigerian ground and air forces who deployed a fighter jet to repel
the insurgents.
The
customs service has not spoken on the abduction and its spokesperson could not
be reached at the time of this report.
Dangote
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The
attack came less than 24 hours after the new Chief of Army Staff, Ibrahim
Attahiru, visited troops of Operation Lafiya Dole on Monday.
During
the visit, Mr Attahiru, a major-general, promised to boost the morale of the
soldiers with improved welfare and more equipment to end the over one decade
insurgency in the region.
A
resident of Geidam, Idris Modu Geidam, told PREMIUM TIMES that the insurgents
entered Geidam from the northern axis and started shooting sporadically.
“They
came from the Maine Sorowa road from the northern part of the town and started
shooting heavily. Everybody ran into their houses or into the bush,” Mr Idris
said.
Maine–Sorowa
is on the Nigeria-Niger Republic border and is about 45km from Geidam town.
Geidam
has been a recurrent target of the insurgents. In January, they attacked the
town and abducted the District Head, who is still in their custody. They also
looted foodstuff, burnt shops and took away medical drugs from the main
hospital in the town.
https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/441985-boko-haram-reportedly-abducts-three-nigerian-customs-officers.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1992299_
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